At one minute after midnight this morning, Monday, March 21, Nova Scotia removed almost all of its COVID-19 restrictions. Yesterday, it was illegal for more than 25 people to hang out together indoors; today there is no gathering limit. Last week, people in line at the grocery store had to stand two metres apart; today […]
Schools
Posted inArts + Music
#BlackInSchool book details high school experiences of racism
When Habiba Diallo reflects on her high school experience in Halifax, she realizes not much has changed in terms of anti-Black racism. Now in her mid-20s, she’s noticed how institutions like the educational system have failed to improve the negative experiences that several Black students face daily—and it’s a change she believes many institutions are […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Voice of the city: Making the case for play
For many adults, the pressure is on since children are out of school—and will be until at least May 1. The absence of a structured environment that includes bells signalling the next activity or timed eating and recess, is no longer part of a child’s day. Afterschool sport and recreation programs have stopped. The result […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What is the biggest determinant of achievement in education?
What is the biggest determinate of a quality education? Is it teachers, or is it something far beyond the reach of teachers? What are the factors that continue to keep the achievement gap a seething sea of despair? I’ll start here and tell you that it comes down to economics, plain and simple. We may […]
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Rugby taught me: My body is good. My body is athletic.
L ast week, the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation announced it was pulling high school rugby, mid-season, with no warning and I’m assuming, without any idea of the uproar it was setting off. The season is back on, under the care of Rugby Nova Scotia, and we’ll have to wait for the summer to see […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
UPDATE: Rugby gets kicked in the crotch by NS sports federation
UPDATE TWO, TUESDAY MAY 7: So. On Thursday the NSSAF canned rugby, then Friday the education minister made his statement demanding its return, and that seemed like the last word. But despite the minister’s convincingly stern tone, the NSSAF didn’t reverse its decision; at the start of the week rugby was still sidelined. Today, however, […]
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Building a case for an Africentric school
The community my father grew up in went without a school for 40 years. My father, Charlie Wilson, was born into segregation in 1927. He grew up during a time when schools were funded by the communities in which they were located. If your community could not afford to build a facility and pay a […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Dire education report calls for an end to province’s school boards
A new government report is calling for sweeping changes to the province’s education system. Entitled Raise the Bar: A Coherent and Responsible Education Administration System for Nova Scotia, the document was assembled over the last year by international education advisor Avis Glaze. Among its 22 recommendations is a proposal to eliminate all the province’s elected […]
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Meet the North End Community Action Committee
[Image-1] Say hello to the North End Community Action Committee. The newly-formed group is concerned about the many developments that are changing the landscape of the city’s north end. For around a month now, Kyturera Jones, one of the main organizers, has been facilitating critical dialogue around the current proposals to (yes we’re using […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Yik Yak Halifax mostly just about pooping
[Image-1] “Anybody had sex in the new library yet?” one user asks. “So not ready to be an adult” reads another Yak. Yik Yak is the free mobile app currently causing panic in news articles across the country. The anonymous service allows anyone to publicly post their thoughts, and read what others within a 2.5-kilometre […]
Posted inArts + Music
Back to School Rules with Bad Vibrations and Friends
PIZZA IS NOT FOR SCHOOL adam o’reillywe quite like this poster, it’s like 3-D FRIDAY NIGHT IS LOOKING STACKED. Bad Vibrations, Duzheknew, Quivers, MicroorgansSeahorseFRIDAY September 17$710:30pm *Note – I said this show was on Saturday in the paper. I LIED.
Posted inNews + Opinion
Whatever Happened to School Flu Shot Clinics?
The Second Wave is upon us and so is a newly diagnosed condition – “H1N1 psychosis,” an overwhelming fear of catching the flu. First diagnosed last week at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, it seems to be spreading everywhere. Long line-ups at community clinics, the vaccine supply shortage, and recent shifts in our H1N1 response strategy […]