An Alt School Student-Turned-Alt School Parent

Kimberly shared her experience with alt schools — starting with her own attendance as a student right up until now, when her child is enjoying all the benefits an alt school can offer.

I came to alternative school (back then it was ASE2) in 1997 as an OAC student — it took about a week to find my place among the students and staff and from then on, it was like I had always been there. The bonds that formed between students and teachers were hugely beneficial as I dealt with my father’s health crisis while balancing school and part-time work. I wouldn’t have succeeded without my alternative school.

Many years later, my son is now attending Delphi SAS as a grade 10 student and it is gratifying as a parent to see him flourishing in ways I didn’t know were possible. I can’t imagine him having to attend our local high school, which is not set up to meet the needs of the special population of students who call Delphi their home school. The supportive environment and community-building provide a unique educational experience that isn’t easily replicated elsewhere.

Losing a staff member at Delphi will absolutely decimate the STEM stream with computers, physics, data management, and calculus courses all being lost. This would drastically reduce the academic options for students, many of whom (my son among them) are counting on these courses being offered as they plan their academic futures.

In addition, the pandemic has heightened the intensity of everything, and students at Delphi depend on their teachers for consistency and the community that is offered. Losing staff at this time is a particularly devastating prospect for students who find themselves marginalised in the general education stream.