Out of sight, out of MIND

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by Craig Segal

Two dozen high school students just might lose their MIND in the Plateau next year. Because of extremely low enrollment, MIND high school may have to cut an entire grade. "We don't have enough kids to form a grade 9," says head teacher Peter Raymond. "That's never happened before." Only 10 students have applied to grade 9, but the school needs a minimum of 15.

Founded in 1975, MIND--Moving In New Directions--is a public alternative school for kids who like to call their teachers by their first names without getting the strap. Rather than sit in a mind-numbing classroom for hours on end, unsupervised teens attend small, college-style classes. Students are encouraged to develop their own academic interests through individual projects and electives. And they play a significant role in running the school.

Attendance took a major beating in 1999. Citing language politics, the school board moved MIND from its prime spot near McGill University to its current head space in Bancroft School on St-Urbain above Mont-Royal. Since then, the school has had to cut extracurricular programs like drama, as well as teachers and class size.

"I like the fact that it's low numbers," says Megan, a grade 11 student who used to attend "a country high school where no one knows who you are. But it's a bummer that this kind of school--that teaches you to be you--is going downhill."