Slave Lake Parents hopeful of being able to continue their children’s education in French received a blow last week. The High Prairie School Division decided there was not enough demand for the program to justify the expense.
But one parent says the battle continues, and vows that French Immersion will return.
The HPSD had been considering a re-launch of its Immersion program after a group of Slave Lake parents made the request last fall. They were parents whose kids had been enrolled in the St. Mary of the Lake program, which had been canceled just prior to the start of the 07/08 school year.
The cancellation did not go over well with the parents, who sharply criticized the Living Waters school division for its decision. Following that bit of controversy, they approached the HPSD board, which agreed to look at the feasibility. Last week, the verdict came down in the negative. Here’s some of what the HPSD had to say, in a Jan. 21 release.
“When the …surveys were compiled there was a potential average of 8-10 students per grade across Kindergarten to Grade 6. Classes would have to have two or three grades within one classroom, a situation that would further reduce registration in the program. Because of the low expressed interest, our schools would be required to operate all of their current English classes, and the costs of the French Immersion program would be beyond what the schools could bear.
“High Prairie School Division will not be initiating a French Immersion program for September 2008.”
Also cited in the release are the difficulties HPSD “neighbours” have had in recruiting and retaining French Immersion teachers – the same argument that Living Waters made five months ago. Furthermore, the release says, the auxiliary costs such as teaching materials and support staff would be “areas of challenge.”
“I’m very disappointed,” says Howard Tanasiuk, one of the parents who led the lobby for French Immersion. “But I don’t think there’s a lot we can do about it.”
Tanasiuk says that learning a second language has been good for his two older children and he and his wife had hoped their younger one could have the same experience. But there just weren’t enough parents who shared that view.
There were commitments for 11 in Grade 1 and 12 in Grade 2 for next year, but only for nine kids entering Kindergarten. “That was their big issue,” Tanasiuk says. “They wanted bigger numbers so they could plan for future years.
“We only convinced nine people out of 7,000. I guess that’s the story.”
Colleen Johnston, another parent keen on French Immersion, says it isn’t the end of the story.
“We will continue to promote, promote, promote, French language learning,” she says. “It may take a couple of years, but we will see French Immersion back in Slave Lake. This is by no means the end of the story. Au contraire – it’s just the beginning!”

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