Inter-A

Inter-A is one of the options available to high school students in British Columbia, Canada. The program is based on leadership and is available to students in grades 8-12. As of April 2018, Inter-A is situated within Queen Elizabeth Secondary School which is part of School District 36 Surrey.

Background History

The Inter-A program was devised by Victor Vollrath and John Harper. The two teachers were sharing a classroom and teaching at opposite sides when they came to the realization that this way of teaching was highly productive for students. In fact, individual students with the skills and motivation to excel maintain this level of productivity to this day. Thus, Inter-A was born.

The program was originally located at Len Shepherd Secondary School. There it remained for many years, and the school was separated into Inter-A and the original Len Shepherd students evenly. Inter-A started off small, with thirty or fewer students ranging from grades 8-10 and eventually extended to grade 12 with the first grad class of 3 students graduating in 1992. Two of those grads are still married and 2 of the four grads of 1993 are still married in 2020.

Inter-A moved to Kwantlen Park Secondary School in 2002, opening the door to many more students. Victor Vollrath and John Harper retired as teachers a year later, but their ideas were passed off onto the new teachers.

Academics

Inter-A students can be found in the hallways at different times of the day, which suggests that Inter-A has more freedom than its mainstream counterpart. It offers all the electives necessary for graduation and a place at any University or College in British Columbia or in Canada. The main differences are that Physical Education is demanded of the students until graduation, Fine Arts programs are chosen by the students, and the Inter-A Component.

The students are broken off into two categories: Intermediates (grades 8-9) and Seniors (10-12). There are six blocks in the day, as opposed to the standard four to accommodate the average high school attention span. There are also six units of six (occasionally seven) weeks per school year, with a report card at the end of each one, as opposed to the two-semester system.

Physical Education

Physical Education classes are divided into groups based on grades. Juniors, grades 8-9 do P.E. together and grades 10-12 do it together. In these grades, students are given options they vote for, and attend until the unit ends. Every unit, students will participate in a 30-45 minutes run called Celebration of Cardio or as many have nicknamed it, endurance. The goal of endurance is to get as many Popsicle sticks as possible in the time period you are given to run. The minimum one should get is 8 sticks, the highest anyone has gotten in Inter-A's lifespan is 17. Students can run their own P.E. options, but teachers are the ones to usually run them.

All marks are out of 100% but are then scaled down to 75%. The remaining 25% goes to the Inter-A Component, which is based on three criteria. The three criteria are: Community Service (10%), Choice (10%), and CPP (5%.)

Studio/Fine Arts

Fine Arts occurs once a week in a quarter. Like P.E. students can choose their own option and can run their own option. Each unit however usually has an overall theme such as movement or etc.

All marks are out of 100% but are then scaled down to 75%. The remaining 25% goes to the Inter-A Component, which is based on three criteria. The three criteria are: Community Service (10%), Choice (10%), and CPP (5%.)

Community service

Students earn credit by participating in community service. Ten hours of work is required for every unit. A log must be kept by the students and signed by an appropriate overseer. Community Service can be completed within the school. This can be as simple as tutoring a fellow peer, or as complex as running the school's recycling program. Many students go above and beyond, completing over 20 hours of Community Service a unit.

CPP

Career and Personal Planning is similar to CSL in the fact that students set goals for themselves. However, these goals are checked bi-weekly and must be signed by the pupil's legal guardian. A portfolio of the student's work is also gathered in this class as evidence of their academic progress.

Choice

Students in grades 8, and 9 can propose to run a choice seminar. A choice seminar is a student-led class, based on their knowledge of a particular subject, whether it be Spider-Man or motorcycles. The student will then be required to teach their peers about that particular subject, through visuals, demonstrations, group activities, or however else they see fit. Attending and handing in an assignment based on the leader's subject is part of an Inter-A student's choice work. Students can also attend other student's choice seminars and are required to attend a minimum of 8 seminars. Running a seminar can give the credit of attending 1-4 seminars, based on the quality of the presentation.

Math

For students in grades eight through ten, Math is self paced. At the end of every chapter they must get their "Math Tracker" signed to signify they understand the concepts, then take the test. If they pass, they may go on to the next chapter. This age bracket sits in mixed age, mixed ability groups, called "Inter-A groups". The Inter-A group was made to teach group skills, leadership, and problem-solving. An Inter-A group should include even members of each gender, students of different ages/grades when possible, students of different skill levels and students who often do not work with each other.

Grades eleven and twelve students work with a teacher in a traditional setting, as opposed to the self-taught younger grades, as the subject matter is more difficult to grasp. However, once a week the younger students attend a Math Tutorial led by a teacher or a more experienced student. Calculus 12 is not offered in Inter-A at this time, but all three math streams (Apprenticeship and Workplace, Pre-Calculus, and Foundations of Math) are offered until the grade twelve level.

Extracurricular activities

Students wishing to attend a post secondary art school are recommended to attend a specialized high school whose focus is more art-based. That is not to say that Inter-A children cannot participate in other school events; sports, theater and all clubs are open to members of Inter-A and Queen Elizabeth students.

Inter-A had an Ultimate team called "The Kwantlen Park Timberwolves". In the 2007/2008 season, Inter-A ultimate started the regular season with a 6-0 record for both the senior and junior teams. The Junior team is currently ranked 1st throughout British Columbia and the Senior team is ranked second in their division.

A Reach for the Top team has been started. The team placed well in their first year of competition. However, this program has currently been suspended.

An Inter-A play is often run annually. "The Grounding of Donnie Greener", written by Roger Blenman, and was a success.

Inter-A has several Destination Imagination teams. The teams often place second or better in Provincial Tournaments, and several have gone on to score highly at the World Finals in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Math Club is available after school some days for students who struggle, need service, or just love math and need somewhere to do it.

Inter-A has an Executive Team, much like its own Student Council. They make important monetary and educational decisions about Inter-A and its future, as well as plan future field trips. It is led by students as an independent body, and elections are held every two units. All Inter-A students are invited to vote.

A "Herd" is when the Inter-A students come together for an information session in one of the three Inter-A classrooms. "Apple Awards" are given at the end-of-the-year barbecue. They are given out during an outdoor herd to each student in a light-hearted manner. The awards are usually inside jokes suggested by friends or playful pokes at students given by the teachers. A red, BC grown apple is given to all students.

Excursions

Excursions in Inter-A can be divided into three categories:

Day trips

The small field trip in Inter-A is a typical field trip experience. Inter-A students have been to the Vancouver Aquarium, Chinatown, Geneskool, Bard on the Beach, and Science World. Day trips are used as a way to give students a real-world application for work done in a classroom.

Overnight Trips

Field trips that last overnight for at least one day. A great example is the annual "Inter-A Retreat" at the beginning of every year, which is three days, and two nights. The Retreat is in September of every year. Usually, it occurs at Camp Sunrise on the Sunshine Coast. For the 2015-2016 school year, it took place at Rockridge Canyon in Princeton, British Columbia. The Retreat is an opportunity for students and teachers to get to know each other before the year starts. This is especially helpful for new grade eight students to easily integrate into the program.

Overseas

Every second year the Inter-A program offers a trip overseas for two to three weeks. The trip is expensive, but the response is excellent. Trips to Italy, France, Australia, Greece, England and other countries have been a tremendous success in integrating different cultures and ideals into the minds of the youth. Through Kwantlen Park, exchange programs with other students from Quebec were also available.

Achievements

The Inter-A program has been regarded as one of the most notable institutes of secondary education in British Columbia. With the skills developed in Inter-A many of the graduates go on to university level education with high exam scores . Both founders of the program, Vic Vollrath and John Harper, have received national recognition awards for their excellence in teaching. Inter-A has placed their parent schools (Len Shepherd and Kwantlen Park Secondary) amongst the top public schools in British Columbia within recent years based on Grade 12 provincial exam marks.