Future students and their parents tour school, meet faculty
E.L Crossley Secondary School held its annual Grade 8 Open House on Monday night, Nov. 27, inviting prospective students and their parents to the school for an evening of information. After presentations outlining the opportunities available at the school, the students and their parents were able to roam the halls, visiting classrooms and speaking with teachers about the courses on offer. The school’s head of guidance Janet Cripps called the night an excellent chance for grade 8s to see what Crossley has to offer—and to prepare for the big transition next year.
Before the presentations, the main foyer was filled with prospective students milling about, standing hesitantly beside their parents as they checked-in at the tables arranged for each of Crossley’s feeder schools. A wireless audio speaker sat on a bench in the centre of the foyer, blasting music with impressive force considering its diminutive size.
Michelle Gibson, a teacher in the guidance department, held up her phone while talking to a former student. “I’m the DJ,” she said. “I have to get back to my job.”
There were many former Crossley students present—or at least their faces were. The school set up a series of posters around the foyer with photographs and brief lists of accomplishments by alumni, above the hashtag “remarkabEL.” Some were familiar, such as the explorer Adam Shoalts, who graduated in 2004. But also included were Jennifer Higgins, a cardiac surgeon, from the class of 2000, and Callie Doucette, an electrician who finished at Crossley in 2009.
Just after six o’clock, a voice on the loudspeaker directed students and their parents to the gymnasium for a brief presentation. The school’s principal, Karen Simpson, addressed the masses, outlining the structure of the Crossley community.
“Academics are important,” she said. “But you do have to get involved. Years from now, you’re not going to remember the mark you got on that English essay, but you will remember the friends that you made in the clubs and sports you joined.”
An emphasis on extra-curriculars persisted through the speakers’ list, though Head of Guidance Janet Cripps did speak to the process for selecting courses for grade 9.
“At 8:01 tonight, I’ll unlock Career Cruising for all those eager beavers out there who can’t wait to get on it,” she said, referring to the online service that allows students to match their interests to an occupation, and an occupation to high school classes.
Crossley’s resource teachers Ivan Jugley and Don Lockhart, who help students having difficulties in classes, tried to make their part of the presentation memorable.
“I know that you’re getting a lot of information tonight,” said Jugley, “so I have a rhyme to help you remember. ‘Before things get ugly, come see Mr. Jugley.”
The crowd laughed, though it wasn’t clear if it was the parents or the students encouraged by the joke.
One of the last speakers was current Crossley student John Avery, who was introduced as one of the leaders of the Crossley LinkCrew. LinkCrew is a new program at the school, and it connects senior students with entering grade 9s in an effort to make the transition to high school easier.
Avery hammed it up as the teacher introduced him, pretending to dance when school dances were mentioned, and rubbing his stomach when hot chocolate was mentioned.
“I can’t tell you enough about all the friends I’ve made in LinkCrew,” said Avery.
After Avery finished, chair of the Crossley parents council Lynn Shatford said she had the answer “to the question that’s on everyone’s mind. John in six-seven-and-a-half-feet tall. I know because I asked.”
Avery, who had returned to tower over one wall of the gym, nodded.
The crowd was released to find teachers waiting to talk to parents and future students in their classrooms.
Technology teacher David Csikos had his two rooms open—one with drafting tables for the hand-drawing of architectural designs, and the other a computer lab where drawings could be done digitally.
“I have some students in here working on projects,” said Csikos, pointing to some sort of structure being built. A boy passed by him with a red sauce on his hands. “And this guy here…he’s eating chicken wings,” said Csikos, looking surprised.
“Well, we have pizza,” said the student. “You can’t have pizza without the wings.”
Csikos smiled and shrugged, and moved over to the other room, where two three-dimensional printers were whirring away.
“They melt the plastic down, and then can shape it into anything,” he said. “This little model of a house is incredibly detailed, and here are two German tanks that a student built. This one’s only half done, so you can see the honeycomb pattern on the inside.”
A father and his son walked through the door, and Csikos started talking to them about the courses he teaches.
Back down the hall in the main foyer, Shatford stood talking to the mother of a prospective student.
“My son already goes to Crossley,” said the parent. “But he just started in September, so he doesn’t know the school, and I don’t know the school. My daughter will be coming here next year.”
“What sorts of things are you interested in?” Shatford asked the daughter.
“Cats,” she replied. Shatford laughed.
“Well, do you like to draw them? Or write about them? Or dissect them? Well, maybe not dissect…” Shatford trailed off.
The mother laughed. “No, we like science too,” she said.
“Okay,” said Shatford. “That’s great. The school has so much to offer. You’re going to love it here.”
