School District 71 Comox Valley is a

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

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. This includes the communities of Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland as well as the surrounding rural areas and the adjacent islands of Denman and Hornby.

History

The Comox Valley has a rich history of settlement, industrial development, and community growth. School District 71 developed alongside this local history, operating schools to meet the needs of the Comox Valley community since the late nineteenth century. The Comox School District was formed on July 30, 1870 while the area was still part of the Colony of Vancouver Island. This new school district provided the legal foundation for the Comox North School which was the Comox Valley's first official public school. Over the next decades, settlement in the region continued to expand and a number of new schools were established. School District 71 was formally created in 1946 and currently spans from Miracle Beach in the north to Denman and Hornby Islands in the south. Until 1946, individual schools in British Columbia operated with their own set of trustees and governance structures under the provincial government. A number of local school districts existed in the area that School District 71 now covers. The school district now operates a number of schools with a variety of programs including French Immersion, trades and career training,

Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

, distributed learning, and Indigenous education programs.

Elected Board of Education (2018-2022)

The school board is composed of seven trustees representing the urban and rural areas of the school district. They are elected officials. * Sheila McDonnell, Board Chair, Area A (Baynes Sound, Hornby & Denman Islands) * Michelle Waite, Vice Chair, Area B (Lazo North) * Tonia Frawley, Town of Comox * Janice Caton, City of Courtenay * Kat Hawksby, City of Courtenay * Sarah Jane Howe, Village of Cumberland * Cristi May Sacht, Area C (Puntledge - Black Creek)

Grade Structure (2018-2019)

*Elementary Schools (15): **K-5 (2) **K-6 (1) **K-7 (11) **K-9 (1) *Middle School (1): **6-9 *Secondary Schools (3): **7-12 (1) **8-12 (2) *Alternate Schools (2): **7-12 (1) - Glacier View Secondary Centre/Sandwick Technical School **10-12 (1) - Nala'atsi Alternate School *Distributed Learning (1): **K-12 (1) - North island Distance Education

History

Elected Board of Education (2018-2022)

Grade Structure (2018-2019)

Current schools

Former Schools

Surplus Property

See also

References