Diversity in local classrooms reflects national population

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merican civil rights activist Cesar Chavez said, “We need to help students and parents cherish the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community – and this nation.”

When we put away our fears of one another, diversity can just happen. We move from shunning others, to tolerating them, to celebrating the uniqueness of each person. In doing so we all benefit. One needs only to look at the strength of the Canadian economy, the stability of our democracy, and the heterogeneity of our population to understand the benefits of diversity.

In the late 1980s, School District 57 was looking for a secondary school to house the growing francophone (for students from French-speaking families) and French immersion (for students from English-speaking families) programs. Duchess Park seemed like a logical choice, since the elementary programs were at neighbouring King George V Elementary School.

The impact of this decision was that a largely homogeneous inner city school was transformed into a multifaceted educational institution. Where our American neighbours bussed inner city children to the suburbs to give them equal educational opportunities, we brought children from all around the city to a downtown location. The result has been a school that many want to attend.

I have been at Duchess Park since 1999. I had previously worked in private and semi-private schools in Canada and the United States, and I had also worked at a home for street children in Africa. All of these places were wonderful in their own right, but all lacked a natural diversity.

When I arrived at Duchess Park it was like breathing a professional breath of fresh air. I have taught French, French immersion, German, social studies, English, math, and I have worked with our at-risk students. Every subject area is fun and exciting, every student faces her or his own challenges, and every class period is different.

While one might expect our diversity to create cliques, that is largely not the case. In fact, students have become more integrated in recent years due largely to the efforts of our Aboriginal education department. It is not unusual to hear drumming in our common area, to see all students taking part in cultural projects, or enjoying a meal featuring bannock. As a non-Aboriginal teacher, I always appreciate how I am welcomed and encouraged to take part in these enriching opportunities.

As French immersion continues to expand in our school district, questions have arisen as to whether or not Duchess Park is the best place to house its secondary program. Roughly one third of the student body today is French immersion or francophone, and the school is filled beyond capacity. Yet, these students are also an important part of the melange that makes Duchess Park such an amazing institution.

My Social Justice 12 class is an example of our wonderful mix of people. As part of the curriculum, students research and present on a matter of interest to them. This year’s topics included the Metis experience in Canada, Islamophobia, the personal impact of residential schools, discrimination toward the deaf, and many other topics. Such diversity is not unique to my classroom. It permeates the building.

There are fairly simple solutions to solving the capacity issues at Duchess Park. It may even be beneficial to redraw catchment lines for our secondary schools as it could reduce travel time to school for students.

The bottom line is that, whether on purpose or by accident, we have found a formula at Duchess Park Secondary School that works to the benefit of everyone. Students are largely happy, as are their parents. Teachers and other staff love coming to work every day.

In essence, Duchess Park is the poster child for integration. It is a microcosm of all that is good in Canada and in the Canadian educational system. It is a shining light, an institution that needs to be studied and emulated, not dismantled.