ESTEVAN - The Estevan Comprehensive School has experienced a slight increase in students for the 2022-23 school year.
The school has 752 students, as of Sept. 30, which is the date school registration numbers become official in Saskatchewan. That number is up from the 751 they had on Sept. 30 of last year.
Principal Nathan Johnson said they have 198 kids in Grade 11, which the school expected. Another 194 students are in Grade 10 this year.
Johnson said it’s been nice to have a traditional classroom schedule for the start of the school year. They were back to the normal schedule in the final months of the last school year as well, after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted.
It means that students won’t have the extended classes they had in 2020-21 and for part of 2021-22.
Some pandemic measures remain, but Johnson said they are largely optional.
“We’ve got masks available at the office if people are interested, and we still have our hand sanitizer stations. Some increased cleaning practices were developed during the past couple of years, but otherwise it feels like a pretty normal year. It feels great,” said Johnson.
He’s also pleased to see the fall sports seasons happening. Other extracurricular activities and groups are underway.
The school community council held a back-to-school barbecue on Aug. 29 that Johnson said was well attended by students from all grades and parents. The student representative council hosted a welcome week from Sept. 6-9 with activities and other ways to get young people comfortable with the school.
A pep rally was held in the courtyard in mid-September to get kids excited about the upcoming year.
Amos McArthur spoke to the students on Sept. 27 about the importance of truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
“He shared his father’s story and it was a really powerful message from Amos. We haven’t been able to do full-group assemblies like that in the past couple of years.”
The school is also looking forward to the Co-op Challenge volleyball series with the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles on Oct. 5 and 12. Games in Estevan will be Oct. 5, with the boys playing at 5:30 p.m. and the girls at 7:30 p.m. Games in Weyburn are Oct. 12.
The best-of-four series is similar to the annual McLeod Series basketball showdown, which is slated for February.
