Education
Taking advantage of every opportunity helps Hunting Hill’s Valedictorian reach new heights
News Release from Red Deer Public Schools
For Raahim Aqueel, seizing every opportunity possible in his high school career has not only been a memorable journey, but has paid off in a big way. He has been named this year’s Valedictorian at Hunting Hills High School.
Raahim, originally from Saudi Arabia, said the news is still sinking in.
“If I had one word to describe it, it’s really a feeling of euphoria. Getting the acknowledgement and recognition for the hard work and dedication that I’ve had is gratifying,” he said, adding that he moved to Canada at the age of nine. “In a sense being a Valedictorian is a way to say thank you – a way of appreciating the sacrifices that my parents made to move to Canada for education and better opportunities.”
After his family’s move, Raahim quickly thrived in his new surroundings. “I always loved soccer as a kid and during recesses at school all we would do was play soccer. I built friendships over soccer and it became part of my identity and it gave me the confidence to be who I am today.”
Darwin Roscoe, Principal at Hunting Hills High Schools said he is extremely proud of Raahim’s achievements.
“I continue to be amazed at the quality of students who attend HHHS,” said Darwin Roscoe, Principal at Hunting Hills High School. Raahim had an average over 98%, which is an outstanding accomplishment. There are few things more satisfying than watching our youth prepare to make the world a better place. Congratulations for this amazing achievement.”
As Raahim reflects on his high school career, he has many fond memories.
“Most of the highlights from my high school years are conversations I’ve had with classmates, the friendships that I have built, hanging out after school – it’s the little things that have had the greatest impact and what has helped shape me into the person that I am today,” he said.
As part of being named Valedictorian, Raahim will have the opportunity to address his classmates at their graduation ceremonies. It’s an opportunity he’s excited to seize.
“I want to touch on how important opportunities are and how to capitalize on those,” he said. “I also want to talk about fear because as you enter high school as a freshman and a sophomore, you are paralyzed with fear – you are scared of what others think of you. You’re scared of rejection, you’re scared of not making the team. I want to talk about how to face those fears and how to change them into life changing moments, how to change them into lessons and how to
grow from them.”
Looking ahead, Raahim will attend the University of Alberta in the fall to pursue education in nutrition and food science with the ultimate goal of becoming a dietician.
“Physical exercise, whether that be sports, cardiovascular training, or weightlifting, has always been a hobby of mine, and a desired form of stress relief. But, something I’ve struggled with in the past is nutrition, and this would hinder my progress,” he said. “Through education, I’ve been able to overcome that roadblock, and I strongly believe that my dedication to physical wellness has played a significant role in my success in other aspects of life. With a degree in Nutrition and Food Science with Specialization in Dietetics, I hope to guide those in need toward a healthier lifestyle and help them accomplish their goals.”
As he gets ready to wrap up his time in grade school, Raahim has lasting words for fellow students entering Grade 9 and journeying through their high school years.
“My advice to other students is to take risks – that is the only way you are going to grow and learn about yourself. If you’re truly passionate about something, pursue it. Don’t let others stop you from doing that,” he said. “And secondly, enjoy the journey. Set goals, work hard, but don’t forget to have fun and do the things that make you happy.”
Hunting Hills High School will hold their graduation ceremonies on May 13 at Westerner Park.
From the Fraser Institute
According to a recent poll, the vast majority of parents in Canada easily understand letter grades on report cards but are confused by the nouveau “descriptive” grading adopted in British Columbia. This should serve as a warning to any province or school board thinking about adopting this type of convoluted descriptive grading.
In September 2023, despite overwhelming opposition from British Columbians, the B.C. government replaced letter grades—such as A, B, C, D, etc.—on K-9 report cards with a “proficiency scale,” which includes the descriptive terms “emerging,” “developing,” “proficient” and “extending.” If these four terms seem confusing to you, you’re not alone.
According to the recent poll (conducted by Leger and commissioned by the Fraser Institute), 93 per cent of Canadian parents from coast to coast said the letter grade “A” was “clear and easy” to understand while 83 per cent said the letter grade “C” was “clear and easy” to understand. (For the sake of brevity, the poll only asked respondents about these two letter grades.)
By contrast, 58 per cent of Canadian parents said the descriptive grade “extending” was “unclear and difficult” to understand and only 26 per cent could correctly identify what “extending” means on a report card.
It was a similar story for the descriptive grade “emerging,” as 57 per cent of Canadian parents said the term was “unclear and difficult” to understand and only 28 per cent could correctly identify what “emerging” means on a report card.
It’s also worth noting that the poll simplified the definitions of the four “descriptive” grading terms. The B.C. government’s official definitions, which can be found on the government’s website, speak for themselves. For example: “Extending is not synonymous with perfection. A student is Extending when they demonstrate learning, in relation to learning standards, with increasing depth and complexity. Extending is not a bonus or a reward and does not necessarily require that students do a greater volume of work or work at a higher grade level. Extending is not the goal for all students; Proficient is. Therefore, if a student turns in all their work and demonstrates evidence of learning in all learning standards for an area of learning, they are not automatically assigned Extending.”
So, what are the consequences of this confusing gobbledygook? Well, we already have some anecdotes.
Before the B.C. government made the changes provincewide, the Surrey School District participated in a pilot program to gauge the effectiveness of descriptive grading. According to Elenore Sturko, a Conservative MLA in Surrey and mother of three, for three years her daughter’s report cards said she was “emerging” rather than clearly stating she was failing. Sturko was unaware there was a problem until the child’s Third Grade teacher called to tell Sturko that her daughter was reading at a Kindergarten level.
Former B.C. education minister Rachna Singh tried to justify the change saying descriptive grading would help students become “better prepared for the outside world” where you “don’t get feedback in letters.” But parents in B.C. clearly aren’t happy.
Of course, other provinces also use terms in their grading systems (meeting expectations, exceeding expectations, satisfactory, needs improvement, etc.) in addition to letter grades. But based on this polling data, the descriptive grading now used in B.C.—which again, has completely replaced letter grades—makes it much harder for B.C. parents to understand how their children are doing in school. The B.C. government should take a red pen to this confusing new policy before it does any more damage. And parents across the country should keep a watchful eye on their local school boards for any plans to replace the ABCs with vague terminology open to interpretation.
Paige MacPherson
From the Fraser Institute
Not only does Alberta have a fully funded separate (Catholic) school system, it also provides between 60 and 70 per cent operational funding to accredited independent schools. In addition, Alberta is the only province in Canada to allow fully funded charter schools. And Alberta subsidizes homeschooling parents.
This week, the Smith government in Alberta will likely pass Bill 27, which requires schools to get signed permission from parents or guardians prior to any lessons on human sexuality, gender identity or sexual orientation.
It’s a sensible move. The government is proactively ensuring that students are in these classes because their parents want them there. Given the sensitive nature of these topics, for everyone’s sake it makes sense to ensure parental buy-in at the outset.
Unfortunately, many school trustees don’t agree. A recent resolution passed by the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) calls on the Smith government to maintain the status quo where parents are assumed to have opted in to these lessons unless they contact the school and opt their children out. Apparently, the ASBA thinks parents can’t be trusted to make the right decisions for their children on this issue.
This ASBA resolution is, in fact, a good example of the reflexive opposition by government school trustees to parental rights. They don’t want parents to take control of their children’s education, especially in sensitive areas. Fortunately, the Alberta government rebuffed ASBA’s demands and this attempt to abolish Bill 27 will likely fall on deaf ears.
However, there’s an even better safeguard available to Alberta parents—school choice. Out of all Canadian provinces, Alberta offers the most school choice. Not only does Alberta have a fully funded separate (Catholic) school system, it also provides between 60 and 70 per cent operational funding to accredited independent schools. In addition, Alberta is the only province in Canada to allow fully funded charter schools. And Alberta subsidizes homeschooling parents. Simply put, parents who are dissatisfied with the government school system have plenty of options—more than parents in any other province. This means Alberta parents can vote with their feet.
Things are quite different in other parts of the country. For example, Ontario and the four Atlantic provinces do not allow any provincial funding to follow students to independent schools. In other words, parents in these provinces who choose an independent school must pay the full cost themselves—while still paying taxes that fund government schools. And no province other than Alberta allows charter schools.
This is why it’s important to give parents as much school choice as possible. Given the tendency of government school boards to remove choices from parents, it’s important that all parents, including those with limited means, have other options available for their children.
Imagine if the owners of a large grocery store tried to impose their dietary preferences by removing all meat products and telling customers that the only way they could purchase meat is to make a special order. What would happen in that scenario? It depends on what other options are available. If this was the only grocery store in the community, customers would have no choice but to comply. However, if there were other stores, customers could simply shop elsewhere. Choice empowers people and limits the ability of one company to limit the choices of people who live in the community.
Think of government school boards as a monopolistic service provider like a grocery store. They often do everything possible to prevent parents from going anywhere else for their children’s education. Trusting them to do what’s best for parents and children is like assuming that the owners of a grocery store would always put the interests of their customers first and not their own self-interest. Monopolies are bad in the private sector and they’re bad in the education sector, too.
Clearly, it makes sense to require schools to get proactive consent from parents. This ensures maximum buy-in from parents for whatever courses their children take. It’s also important that Alberta remains a bastion of school choice. By making it easier for parents to choose from a variety of education options, Alberta puts power in the hands of parents, exactly where it belongs. Parents in other provinces should want that same power, too.
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