The New Westminster school district saw its largest enrolment to date in summer school in 2023.
That's among the findings in a report presented to school trustees at their Tuesday, Sept. 26 meeting.
The summer of 2023 saw 1,061 students enrolled in summer school in the district — up from 660 in 2022 and just 307 in 2021.
This year's enrolment included 494 students in grades K through 7, 275 in grades 8 through 10, and 262 in grades 11 and 12.
The district offered numerous new courses for elementary students this year, including arts education, early French immersion, hands-on science, sports and recreation, and learning through nature and gardens.
Students in grades 8 through 10 had a chance to take part in new short courses, including wellness skills and an introduction to Japanese, while Grade 11 students had a new offering in the form of English First Peoples.
District vice-principal Stephen Inniss, speaking to the school board on Tuesday night, called the enrolment numbers "quite extraordinary."
He noted that the short elective courses were an idea coming out of the pandemic, giving teachers a chance to take "the very best parts" out of a given ministry curriculum and create a short course to introduce students to their favourite things.
At the same time, in 2021, the district also expanded its summer offerings into the elementary school level.
Principal Jennifer Davis, who oversaw this year's elementary offerings, brought along four students to present to the board. The students shared their praise for the learning environment and kind teachers, saying the courses helped them acquire new skills and get ready for the new school year.
Davis said one of the elements of the summer programming that worked well was having the Red Fox organization come in and offer physical literacy for intermediate classes, using the outdoor greenspace at Moody Park.
"It was a true joy, and I'm excited to see where it progresses in years to come," she said.
