The future is looking bright for Carbon School, and the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) has been working hard to bolster the institution.
In December last year, the Mail reported the PAC was concerned about dwindling numbers as the student population was in the 60 range. Since that time the PAC and Mayor Brian Peever had a meeting with Golden Hills School Division.
“We had the meeting, and it was super successful, it was only good things,” said PAC president Mary Ellen Proctor. “Anything that was brought up about being red-flagged is not a worry, so that eased our mind.”
Since that time, she said the community is growing, with eight new families moving in. The school is also on the upswing.
“For our preschool and Kindergarten, we have seen an increase. We went from 10 at the start of the year, and now there are 17, including the three kinders that go at the same time,” said Proctor. “Our average is between four and six kids per grade, and having 17 is just amazing.”
She said some of the growth in the village is young families. The village has opened a new subdivision that has been filling, and Proctor says there have been employment opportunities coming from nearby economic development.
“That new Sunterra greenhouse is bringing quite a few people in, and they are coming to Carbon, and that is fantastic,” she said.
Beyond focusing on growing the student population, it works hard to nurture the students through programs and activities. Proctor says they have been developing sports programs for grades 3-6.
“This gives them a little more opportunity, so they are ready when they hit junior high and high school,” she explains.
They have also started to integrate Carbon School students with students from Dr. Elliot School.
“It gets them more peers, so they get to meet more people and they get the opportunity to participate,” she said. For example, if there are only six kids in Carbon who want to play basketball, they can join students from the other school to make it a reality. They can also take some of the optional courses offered at the other school.
The PAC has also been successful in securing a small rural school grant. She says it will be used to create a program focusing on mental health, maybe bringing in a speaker.
She says it feels like the community is working together.
“We all have different insights, and at that meeting, we all just came together. It is nice that we all have the same goal, even if you do things a different way,” she said.
