The only school on Vancouver Island dedicated entirely to teaching students with learning disabilities will soon be able to see students through to graduation, thanks to a $50,000 donation from TELUS.
Discovery School, the only provincially-designated special education school, had previously transitioned Grade 9 students back into the public school system for Grades 10-12.
The time that had previously been spent on transitioning students may now be used to facilitate their study skills and understanding of content in all core areas, said Discovery principal, Sherri Ko.
“We’re like a family here,” Ko said of the school, in operation for more than 35 years. “For students to move away from their friends (into a larger school) and be uncertain as to the programs that will or will not be in place for them, that uncertainty robs them of a sense of security in their education.”
The cash, donated by the TELUS Victoria Community Board, will go directly toward the purchase of resource and course materials, equipment and technological resources such as laptops, smart boards and speech recognition reading and writing programs.
nnorth@saanichnews.com