Abbotsford School District launches 12-year video project about students – BC

A group of Abbotsford, B.C., students have been given starring roles in a video project that is scheduled to last a dozen years.

Eight students from École Clearbrook Elementary School were handpicked to take part in the ‘Journey to 2036’ series created by the Abbotsford School District.

“Being six years old and asking to go on the camera is no small feat. So, we were looking for students who were really confident, outgoing and engaging, and invited them and their parents to have the opportunity to participate,” said École Clearbrook Elementary School principal Erica Hopkins.

“They thought they were going to be part of a movie, and they were going to be movie stars. So, they were all a very resounding yes.”

The district plans to follow the cohort of students as they grow up. The series will document their experience from Grade One all the way to their Grade 12 graduation in 2036.

“I think the biggest impact is going to be for our eight students that we are filming and their families to have this history of a video series that they’re going to be able to look back on over the years and see how their growth and development has changed,” Hopkins said.

Superintendent of Schools Sean Nosek plans to have monthly conversations with the students, asking the young learners questions about their hopes, dreams and their school experiences.

“It will be neat to ask a lot of the similar questions, including what do you love most about school? Do you have any advice for teachers or principals? What would you like to be when you grow up? As they get older, I think we can begin to ask some more refined and sophisticated questions,” said Nosek.

“We haven’t tracked students for this amount of time, and so I’m excited for when they’re in Grade Two, and, frankly, for when they’re in middle school and high school, and I think it’ll be an amazing chronicle.”

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Nosek said he realizes that some students may move away from the school district, and they might add other students, but that he wants to continue following these students for as long as possible.

The goal of the project is to highlight student voices and capture the growing perspectives of these young learners.

“We were looking for a neat way to engage our broader community, our parents. And one of the things our district is well known for is the work we do with student voice,” said Nosek. “We thought, ‘what if we heard from our youngest students?’

The school district has released a teaser for the “Journey to 2036” project online. Moving forward, the videos will be shared monthly.

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