For the fifth year in a row, enrollment declined at the Jasper Junior/Senior High School.
This year the school enrolled 197 full-time students, compared to 241 during the 2008鈥�09 school year. That鈥檚 a drop of almost 20 per cent over that span.
Schools in Alberta are funded based on the number of students attending from Kindergarten to Grade 9. From Grade 10 to 12, schools get money based on how many credits their students are taking.
With only 93 students in high school this year, principal Mark Crozier said he鈥檚 preparing for less credits and less money from the government.
To deal with the dip in funds, he鈥檚 combined several courses and cancelled a few others. He鈥檚 also taken the sustainability class out of the classroom, keeping it only as an extra-curricular club.
Crozier said providing a rich high school experience for what essentially amounts to three classes worth of students is a challenge.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to arrange an entire high school program for 90 kids,鈥� he said.
Crozier admitted he鈥檚 had to be creative with course offerings this year, but said he is proud of the opportunities the school offers its students.
He points to things like the school鈥檚 guitar course, its extra-curricular activities and distance education opportunities.
Part of what keeps those opportunities available, explained long-time teacher Barb Schmidt, is the teachers who volunteer their time to activities that the school has had to drop, like the jazz band.
She said the school is lucky to have a group of enthusiastic and talented teachers who create a great environment for students to learn in, no matter how many of them there are.
Crozier said there isn鈥檛 one main reason for the shrinking student population, but several factors working together.
He said private schools have started actively recruiting in town and as a result more parents now send their kids to schools outside the community. He noted that several Jasper students made the switch this year.
Crozier also pointed to the availability of affordable housing in Jasper. He said that, while Jasper is a wonderful place to raise kids, many families that are just starting out can鈥檛 afford to stay here.
As well, fewer international students have found their way to Jasper lately.
By themselves none of these factors are incredibly significant, but put together they start to explain why fewer students are walking the halls of the high school.
Although enrollment is something the school is keeping a very close eye on, Crozier doesn鈥檛 seem overly concerned.
鈥淚鈥檓 not worried that we鈥檙e going to shrink too much,鈥� he said.
Although it鈥檚 difficult to predict what future years will look like, there are a few factors working in the school鈥檚 favour.
Schmidt said elementary classes are fairly big right now, so as those kids move up to high school they will bolster the school鈥檚 enrollment numbers.
As well, according to information from Alberta Health Services, birth rates in Jasper have increased slightly in the past five years. If these kids enter the public school system in Jasper they will also eventually boost enrollment numbers鈥攁lthough, only a little.
Crozier said to keep enrollment up, staff will work hard to market the school internationally. They will also continue encouraging students to take as many credits as possible.
Schmidt said through credit achievement programs, Jasper Junior/Senior High Schools students get the most from their school.
鈥淭he bottom line is, as a school we are still doing fabulously.鈥�
Trevor Nichols
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