Please Help - our students are at risk!

UPDATE - we have been given an opportunity to keep this program with increased enrolment. 

Application Deadline for Students - February 22nd at 4pm 

Apply Here 

Step 1. Register FIRST Step 2. Book your visit

https://sites.google.com/sd22learns.ca/aiao/apply?authuser=2

There is hope, but we must act now if you want this program of choice for your child. 

Clarence Fulton Secondary’s Awaken Inquiry and Adventure Okanagan (AIAO) program is closing if we do not meet the requirements for enrolment.

Principal Mike Edgar informed staff & students on Jan. 11 that the Vernon School District (SD22) program will be closed for the upcoming 2024/25 school year, citing a decline in student registrations. Our students want to keep & grow this program. 

When news of closure was shared in the classroom, parents then began to receive distraught phone calls and texts from their children - frantic over the loss of their school. 

As a community we need to stand up and have our voices heard by the SD22 board of trustees.

AIAO provides a safe and inclusive space for students.

While several students attending this program are on the Autism Spectrum (ASD), diagnosed with ADHD and/or anxiety or face other mental health challenges, many “neurotypical” students attend simply because that’s how they learn best! Not all students who attend AIAO have a ministry designation, but ALL of these children work together, and thrive in this inquiry based program. These kids are like a family now. This should be the gold standard for education.

The closure of Awaken Inquiry and Adventure Okanagan (formerly the Vernon Community School) is unacceptable and our parent group would love to help. 

If you were planning to enrol your child in AIAO, or seeking an alternative but didn’t know where to look, or have been involved with our students past or present in ANY capacity, we need to hear your voice!

Inquiry, community & experiential based education has provided the most rich & diverse learning opportunities for our kids. There are no words to express what losing this Program means to current & future students. With this news just ahead of registration set to open, we must act now!

Have you heard of this program? You may not have even known that this award-winning, innovative, alternative eduction was an option. 
https://sites.google.com/sd22learns.ca/aiao

Please express your interest or support for this program. We are running out of time. 

Email the school (link above) and school board if you would like to explore this option for your child, and/or to show your support for AIAO. 

Please consider reaching out to the following individuals:

Christine Perkins, Superintendent - cperkins@sd22.bc.ca
Adrian Johnson, Secretary-Treasurer - ajohnson@sd22.bc.ca
Mark Olsen, Board Chair - molsen@sd22.bc.ca
Kelli Sullivan, Vice Chair - ksullivan@sd22.bc.ca
Dave Mackenzie, President of Vernon teacher’s association President@vernonta.com
Mike Edgar, Fulton School 
Principal - medgar@sd22.bc.ca

& Please Sign this Petition. 

Thank you.