At Rimbey Junior/Senior High School, students milled about before going in for classes, enjoying the annual pancake breakfast. The fall day was crisp and clear with not a cloud in the sky and the students clustered about in little groups outside the school, no doubt enjoying the warm temperatures and an opportunity to catch up on the latest happenings.
Principal Tim Lekas said the student population is down about 15 from the 375 who attended last year, although that number is subject to change, as more students may register throughout the month.
He is not surprised the numbers are slightly lower.
“Unfortunately, it is a sign of the times, he said. “Rural school are getting smaller.”
Lekas said there are few staffing changes this year, Brian Grocholski replaces Jocelyn Olsen as the senior high English and junior high language arts teacher temporarily. Olsen is on maternity leave.
Lekas is excited the school will implement Chromebook, personal computers designed to be used while connected to the Internet and support applications that reside on the Web, rather than traditional applications that reside on the machine. Grade 9 students and junior and senior high school teachers will have access to Chromebook.
“We are already using some of the applications such as using Cloud storage,” he said.
The high school will bring back the scuba diving program and will use the Ponoka pool for training. A scuba diving trip is planned for March with a destination yet to be determined.