Frequently Asked Questions
1) When will the 2010 Olympics be held?
2) What has the School District done to prepare for the 2010 Olympics?
3) Has the School District consulted with school districts in previous Olympic venues?
4) When will the Board of School Trustees make a decision about whether or not to close the schools during the Olympics?
5) What school calendar options are being considered?
6) Will parents have an opportunity to express their views about which school calendar options they would prefer?
7) Will there be an Olympic-related educational program for our students?
8) How will transportation within the School District be affected by the Olympics?
9) Does Whistler Blackcomb have any plans for local programs if schools are closed for the Olympics?
10) Will our youth have opportunities to be involved in the Olympics?
11) Will Olympic tickets be donated to schools for use by students?
12) Does the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) have any strategies?
13) Has VANOC asked to use of any of our schools during the Olympics?
14) What impact will the Paralympics have on school district operations?
15) How do I get an answer to a question that has not been addressed in this section?
1) When will the 2010 Olympics be held?
The Olympics are from Feb. 12 to 28 and the Paralympics start 10 days later.
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2) What has the School District done to prepare for the 2010 Olympics?
The Board of School Trustees formed a 2010 Committee about six months after the announcement that Vancouver had been awarded the 2010 Olympics. The committee's mandate was to explore ways to enhance the learning of our students around the Olympics and to investigate ways to have our students involved in the event. The committee also decided to explore the implications of the schools being open or closed during the Olympic period. The committee then held a district-wide focus group day of all community members (political and partner groups) to get some initial direction. On the basis of the input the committee received, it decided that the school calendar issue should be addressed before looking at other issues. The committee also formed a sub committee steering group to investigate Olympic programming for the students – district, school and classroom based. The sub committee has liaised with other community groups and gathered a number of ideas including: hosting welcoming parties for visiting parents of Olympic athletes, starting a high level media program for students; and being a part of the community animation, student certification programs for volunteering during the Olympics.
The chair of the School District 2010 Committee also chairs a five-district committee to ensure coordination with other districts. The other districts are West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond, and Vancouver. The committee is made up of three trustees, the superintendent and the Secretary/Treasurer from each district.
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3) Has the School District consulted with school districts in previous Olympic venues?
Yes. Other school districts in previous Olympic venues have been consulted. Park City, the centre of alpine skiing at the 2002 Olympic Games, faced a situation that is similar to one being faced by the Howe Sound School District. They closed schools for the two weeks of the games and for a few days before the games started. There were no auxiliary services provided by the school district for students. Parents were happy with the decision. There was a lot to do and many of those who left town and rented their homes wished they hadn’t.
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4) When will the Board of School Trustees make a decision about whether or not to close the schools during the Olympics?
A decision will be made by the end of June 2007 or September 2007 latest.
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5) What school calendar options are being considered?
A number of options are being considered. To view them in PDF format, click here.
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6) Will parents have an opportunity to express their views about which school calendar options they would prefer?
Yes, a school calendar survey has been prepared and can be filled out on line by clicking here.
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7) Will there be an Olympic-related educational program for our students? VANOC is developing an education website for teachers to access. There will be no written materials from the Ministry of Education. The website will be interactive so teachers can share best practices. There will be a soft launch of this website late spring 2007. The School District's 2010 sub committee is in contact with the person in charge of this website and is working with him.
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8) How will transportation within the School District be affected by the Olympics?
While traffic is anticipated to be elevated, VANOC will work closely with the School District to insure minimum disruptions if schools remain open. There will be peak times and car travel may be restricted at some times.
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9) Does Whistler Blackcomb have any plans for local programs if schools are closed for the Olympics?
While they have no plans for local programs at present, they have had representatives at community meetings and have are aware of the prospective needs if schools are closed. The mountains will be operational as normal with some restrictions on Whistler. All parking lots will be rented and people will need to use bus transportation.
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10) Will our youth have opportunities to be involved in the Olympics?
VANOC is currently looking at involving youth age 15 and older through their newly formed Youth Task Force.
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11) Will Olympic tickets be donated to schools for use by students?
Olympic tickets will not be donated to schools, but many events will be affordable depending on the event. For example VANOC representatives have said that the gold medal hockey game will be expensive, but an elimination round for ski jumping will probably not be.
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12) Does the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) have any strategies?
Yes, the Resort Municipality of Whistler has prepared 10 strategies to pursue in relation to the Olympics. For example, the Whistler Arts Council is the lead organization to bring about the cultural and animation events in Whistler. SD 48 will liaise with the lead organizations that are involved in strategies that are of benefit to students. Other municipalities also have processes to look at these aspects of the Olympics in their communities through the Spirit BC programs. The SD #48 committee is also liaising with these groups.
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13) Has VANOC asked to use of any of our schools during the Olympics?
Yes, VANOC has asked to rent four secondary school gyms to house volunteers. They are aware that the decision to keep schools in session or to close all or some of them must be made before their request can be considered.
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14) What impact will the Paralympics have on school district operations?
The Paralympic committee would prefer that students be in school for the Paralympics so that they can provide opportunities for students to attend some of the events. The Paralympic is not as high profile as the Olympics and they want to create interest in the event. They have some programs and five schools are needed to pilot a speakers' program (Myrtle Philip is one). They also have an "adopt a country" program.
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15) How do I get an answer to a question that has not been addressed in this section?
If you have a question that has not been addressed in this section, click here and send us an email with your question. We will respond via return email.
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This page was last updated May 16, 2007.
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