A report released in November detailing the progress to date for the Community Learning Campus and containing recommendations for the future will be used by staff at both Olds College and Chinook's Edge School Division to chart a way forward.The 68-page report, Community Learning Campus: A time for reflection, was written by former CLC director Dot Negropontes. In the report, Negropontes details what has transpired since the opening of the various parts of the CLC and identifies new possibilities for further improvement.Ray Hoppins, chair of the CLC executive committee and associate superintendent of support services for the CESD, said some of the opportunities the report identifies as major benefits to the CLC include the ability of high school students to take dual credit courses and for kindergarten to Grade 9 students to travel to the college to learn there.A new director of learning will be hired to work with all CESD schools to take advantage of the learning opportunities available to elementary and secondary students at the college. It's hoped that position can be filled by March. Hoppins said the director of learning will identify the precise possibilities students will be able to take advantage of.ìWe have generated some ideas and brainstormed some possibilities about possible programs to see at the college,î he said, adding that learning about the composting that takes place at the college could be one possibility. ìThat's a real opportunity for our young scientists to go and look at that and understand how that whole process works.îThe report also states that adjustments should be made in the operation of the CLC to make it even more inclusive of the community. Hoppins said better communicating to the public all the offerings available through the CLC is one of the main priorities going forward.ìWhen we're talking about community, I think it's so important to Ö communicate and have information and opportunities accessible to the public. We're excited that we're going to have a person that can really dedicate their time to making sure that that happens,î he said.The report also notes that marketing initiatives should be undertaken to promote the CLC concept as well as the region for what it can offer in expertise. Hoppins said that will be developed over the next few months between the director of learning and other staff.The report also notes that members of the public who were consulted in researching the report identified more of a need to ìownî the CLC. Hoppins said everyone involved with the CLC is excited to bring that sense of ownership to everyone through offering a diversity of programs and activities that will benefit a broad audience. He said many programs have been talked about in the past, and the hope is that many of them will be realized in the future.ìI think our primary goal is to offer things that are mutually beneficial to all, and that will certainly help people own it. For example, when the CLC offers programming or facilitates programming that's beneficial to the college, to our schools and to our communities, that's how you get people engaged in the process,î he said.As a result of the report, the CLC executive committee is currently doing a review of the community engagement sites. Information is being gathered from site coordinators, talking to users, school employees and division office staff and Olds College staff to see what the long-term vision of the sites is. The hope is to have the review completed by March. Part of the review will also address how the sites can access money to keep their doors open, as money the provincial government provided was only given for a short period to get the sites up and running.ìEach community certainly plays a major role in their engagement site, and so sometimes they may need support. Part of the review is we want to know all the stories from all the engagement sites Ö so that community engagement sites themselves ñ and communities ñ can see the possibilities when it comes to funding,î he said.Several challenges were identified in the report, such as implementing the identified vision for the CLC, leadership, culture, relationships and communication, among others. Hoppins said the CLC executive committee will be working closely with the director of learning to identify solutions to those issues over the next few months.ìI think our best process is to Ö work with the new director of learning to concentrate on this incredible gift that we have and expand if possible,î he said.The first parts of the CLC opened in 2008, with the core high school opening in 2010.
