IV. PROGRAMS AND CURRICULUM

The standard courses taught at the Grade 9-12 Community-Operated Public School, together with the range of enhancements employed to diversify the course selection, form the proposed curriculum. The difficulty in offering a rich array of programs is the "Achilles heel" of small rural schools. The Community-Operated Public School meets this challenge by first understanding the needs of students in the community, and then developing a strategy to enhance education through:

• utilizing opportunities offered by the public system;
• recognizing the community's strengths and using them as a resource; and
• seeking appropriate partnerships with other institutions to share education resources and meet mutual objectives.

The Community-Operated Public School will offer the "essential graduation learnings" as defined in the Nova Scotia Public School Programs Manual. In addition it will institute programs aimed at:

• giving graduates the greatest possible opportunity to access post-secondary education in areas of their expressed interest.
• equipping students with the ability to express themselves, to solve problems and to think critically. Strong community involvement and direction will be fostered, so that students have an understanding of their relationship with the community, the province, the country and the world.
• providing students with the skills to continue as life-long learners.

Enhancements to the Curriculum

The distinctive feature of the Community-Operated Public School is the use of enhancements to diversify and enrich the traditional program offerings. A number of valuable possibilities that are available from within the public education system are outlined in Chapter 2. The Community-Operated Public School will take advantage of these opportunities to allow students to diversify their studies and to enable teachers to deliver more programs. The features and qualities of the Margaree community will be integrated into the programs of the school through locally developed programs, multi-disciplinary community-based projects and mini-courses delivered by skilled community volunteers.