Greater Victoria students, educators celebrate end of pandemic school year
Thursday was the last day of classes for students in School District 61. To say that this school year has had its challenges would be an understatement.
“As a registered nurse, the schools did amazing,” said Kerri Morash, a mother of two children that attend Victoria West Elementary School. “We’re going to have a great summer.”
Student Isla Zemanek agrees, saying she doesn’t feel like she missed out on much throughout this pandemic school year.
“My favourite thing of school is I get to play,” said Zemanek.
“We’re just super happy that it’s finished and everyone was safe,” said Patricia Sharratt, a parent at the school.
Over at the school district office, nobody is mincing their words when it comes to looking back at this year.
“This year has been pretty energy-draining,” said Deb Whitten, the deputy superintendent.
Looking ahead to next year, if immunization rates continue to be strong and COVID-19 infection numbers stay low, the way students learn should return to near normal. “Moving away from learning cohorts, having kids interact with other kids throughout the school,” said Whitten.
For Margaret Young over at Quadra Elementary, the last day of school was bittersweet.
“I’m retiring today after all those years,” said Young.
Young has been an educational assistant and one of the school’s crossing guards for the past 29 years.
“I’ve known these kids for so many years,” said Young. “I’m going to miss every one of them.”
Young says she’s looking forward to spending more time with her family.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.