Joliette CLC

The Joliette High School Community
Learning Centre:
2013-2014 Evaluation Report
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 2
Introduction
The Joliette High School Community Learning Centre (JHS-CLC) has implemented
numerous projects and programs over the past three years to promote and
encourage learning and development among students, parents, and community.
Kim Murphy, the CLC coordinator, has seen progress among students as well as
successful collaboration between the school and its community partners.
This past year, the CLC’s primary focus was on improving students’ health & wellbeing and to support the development of literacy skills. This report will feature
three initiatives: Project LOVE (Leave Out Violence), the Book Club and a Poetry
Slam.
Joliette Community Learning Centre
CLCs are an English Minority Language Initiative
for the Province of Quebec that seek to build
partnerships that improve student learning,
family engagement, and stronger communities.
CLC Snapshot
Mission Statement

Opened its doors at JHS
in 2011
JHS-CLC’s mission is to serve as a dynamic and
welcoming learning environment for staff and
students, serving as a community centre offering
various services to the greater Lanaudière
Anglophone community. The CLC provides
services that promote and encourage
connections, collaboration and learning among
students, parents, and community. The CLC,
along with its community partners, work to
respond to the specific needs of the community
and strive to provide quality educational, health
and cultural services.

Donations/Grants:
$9,375

Material donations and
volunteer time valued
at $29,100

The CLC introduced 10
programs and activities,
supported by over 25
volunteers
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 3
Community Profile
Joliette High School is the only English
language high school in the Lanaudière
region, and has a large proportion of
francophone students, which
contributes to greater bilingual fluency.
The Anglophone population tends to be
clustered in small towns scattered
throughout the Lanaudière region. The
result is that just about every student
takes the bus to school. Some students
have to ride over two hours one-way,
making accessibility to after school
activities very challenging. However,
accommodations are made where
possible. For example, bus services are
shared with the French school board,
after school taxis are available for some
activities, and lunch time activities are
encouraged.
Joliette High School services students from impoverished areas. In 2008-2009, JHS
was classified 8 out of 10 on the Indice de milieu défavorisé scale. Joliette High
School has been identified as a New Approach New Solutions school (NANS – an
province-wide intervention strategy to provide additional support and practices in
schools that are in disadvantaged areas to increases chances of students success1),
which gives JHS-CLC the opportunity for NANS funding.2 Many students live in
single parent or blended family homes. Furthermore due to the geographic location
http://www.learnquebec.ca/en/content/mels/success/
Dr. Joanne Pocock, Profiles of the English-Language Communities and Schools of Quebec’s Community Learning
Centres (Qu’anglo Communications & Consulting, 2012
1
2
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 4
and low socio-economic status, Joliette High School students have limited exposure
to cultural events and cultural institutions.3
Community Profile

The English-speaking community of
the region of Lanaudière make up
2.1% of the population.

Of these 2.1%, roughly 50% are in the
labour force, and 92.4% are
employed.

About 25.9% of the Anglophone
population earn less than $10,000 per
year

About 43.3% of the Anglophone
population earn between $10,000 and
$29,999 per year

Most important issues facing the
Anglophone community in Lanaudière
include: access to services in English,
Health care, and Education.
Sources:
-Pocock, Joanne and Jan Warke. Baseline Data Report,
2009-2010. Demographic Profiles of Quebec’s Englishspeaking Communities by selected CSSS Territories.
CHSSN
-Statistics Canada. Table 282-0061 - Labour force survey
estimates (LFS), employment by economic region and
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS),
annual (persons), CANSIM (database).
3
Joliette High School Success Plan 2012
From a socioeconomic standpoint, JHS-CLC
ranks in the middle of the poverty index
(14.58) and also in the middle on the
socioeconomic environment index (17.62)
with regards to the Ministère de
l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS)
measures of disadvantaged areas. JHS’s
enrollment has decreased over the past few
years. The school is projecting 250 students
for the 2014-2015 school year, down from
331 in 2009. One reason for this is that
students leave the English sector and enter
French private schools, which offer offer
concentrations courses.
Building Partnerships
The key to a successful CLC lies in its
partnerships. Over the last three years, the
CLC has worked toward building lasting
partnerships with local organizations in the
region. These organizations share a
mandate with the CLC, in whole or in part,
to work towards increasing student
success, supporting community
development, and expanding recreational
and health and social services to the
“Our group allows students and seniors to interact and
break down the barriers and myths about each age group. I
believe one student expressed very well his appreciation of
our intergenerational day: `I never knew seniors could be
so much fun!’ I look forward to many future projects that
Friday Friends can share with the Community Learning
Centre.” -Lynne Scott, President of Elder Help of
Lanaudière
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 5
Anglophone community in the Lanaudière region.
Planning for a Desirable Future
To help realize the CLC's mission and vision, strategies and initiatives are
developed using the 'Theory of Change' (TOC), a planning method that encourages
users to identify 'why' and 'how' initiatives support desired changes.
In this Report two outcome areas from the Theory of
Change have been chosen to evaluate. One of the CLC’s
desired long term outcomes is to improve the overall
health and well-being of the students and create a
-www.theoryofchange.org
safe and supportive environment that is conducive to
learning. To help support this goal, the CLC initiated
the LOVE program in 2012 in partnership with LOVE, an international non-profit
youth violence prevention organization. Through different forms of media and
literacy activities, LOVE helps students understand what violence is and how it can
affect them. It offers a safe environment for them to express themselves. The
activities help students to develop their interpersonal and conflict resolution skills,
which ultimately contribute to a positive school environment that is conducive to
learning.
‘A Theory of Change’ defines
all building blocks required
to bring about a given longterm goal.
The second desired outcome is student success. There are various factors
contributing to students who have difficulty with literacy. Most of the students
come from francophone backgrounds, where their literacy skills are lacking.
Joliette is also high on the Indice
de milieu défavorisé scale,
meaning we have a higher number
of students from low income,
single parent homes, and a high
number of mothers who have not
completed secondary school. To
help support the goal of improving
student literacy, engagement and
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 6
self-esteem, the CLC initiated a Book Club and a Poetry Slam.
Outcome Area 1: Health and Well-being
This section of the report will evaluate the LOVE program, and the efforts to
improve the overall health and well-being of the students, one of CLC’s desired
long-term outcomes. The evaluation question guiding this process was: In what
ways and to what extent did the LOVE program contribute to:
 Students’ self-esteem;
 Students’ ability to respond appropriately to violence; and
 Students’ understanding of the different faces of violence.
Methodology
Data was gathered using the following:
 Teacher and student surveys
 Student focus groups
 Teacher interviews
 Interview with Executive Director of LOVE
 The Tell Them From Me (TTFM) survey
 Written transcripts from the previous year
 Survey to principal
 Qu’anglo parent survey
Indicators
 Students’ participation in the
program
 Students’ appreciation of the
program
 Self-esteem and sense of
safety
 Students’ knowledge of
violence
 Students response to violence
 Instances of bullying
The LOVE program ran for two years at Joliette High School -2011-12 & 2012-13.
The principal at that time, Mr. Simpson, thought it would be a great program to run
after reading the TTFM numbers in 2011-2012 - the school had almost double the
national average in a great risk of violence against themselves (drugs, alcohol). So in
collaboration with the CLC coordinator at the time, Joliette High School partnered
with LOVE.
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 7
LOVE Program, 2011-12
In their own words:
The first year was a pilot project. The desired
“It taught me how to overcome violence,
outcome areas in the first year were
how to control it. It helped me to better
Engagement (student engagement and teacher understand why some people turn to
violence.” –Bianka
engagement) and Health and Well-being. The
first year students that were interviewed all
“It helped me build my confidence.” –J.C.
said they loved the program. Most of the first
“I really enjoyed the program; I would do
year students participated in making a video
it again. The teacher really let us create
which they showed to elementary schools in
what we wanted and I didn’t feel judged
the region, highlighting what the program was by anyone.” –Isabelle
about. Most of them preferred interacting with “It helped me fight my shyness. I now
one another (hands on activities) to the
better understand certain aspects of why
someone would turn to violence. I would
writing activities. Students felt respected by
do this program again. –Alexa
their peers and after the program was done
they felt more accepting of one another. When
comparing the first and second years, 60 % of first year students (grade 9, 2011)
felt a positive sense of belonging. Of the same group surveyed the following year,
70% felt a positive sense of belonging, after they participated in the LOVE
program.4
They all agreed the teacher was amazing in heading up the program. He was
involved with them, and he gave them the leniency to work the way they felt like.
Students were not being graded on any activity pertaining to the program, so didn’t
worry about what they wrote. Students agreed that the program should continue,
with the right instructor, resources and activities. Mr. Palmarella, the teacher the
2011-2012 program, had this to say: “I noticed a big change in some students
where they went from sitting in class and doing nothing, being shy, to being willing
to answer questions and even present in front of the class. It broke the shell for
some students. I have heard from students that they loved LOVE because they did
4
Data from the annual Tell Them From Me (TTFM) student surveys.
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 8
not see it as a class. It was fun and interesting and it engaged the students in selfreflective and self-awareness exercises.
LOVE Program – 2012-13
The students in the program’s second year had
a different experience. The data collected
suggests that one significant factor was the
decision to include the LOVE program as part
of the Personal Social Development (PSD)
class curriculum. This decision inadvertently
created a pressure for students to participate
for grades that undermined their sense of
safety.
In their own words:
“They made us love to hate the LOVE
project.” –Liam
“I felt supported by my classmates; I felt
respected and more accepted. I learned
how to be myself... Since the program, I
have stopped drinking and going to bars.”
–Laila
“Grading the students’ on their work is not
in the LOVE philophoshy; LOVE should be a
safe place to share. Depending on some
students, some may present some of their
work in a subject, but only the students
can decide that.” –Lea Kabiljo, ED of LOVE
Of the ten students who agreed participate in
the focus group, most said that they disliked
“LOVE shows you that you’re not alone,
and how strong you really are.” –Taryn
the program. One student that liked the
Scott, former CLC Coordinator
program benefited from the support of her
classmates (see side-bar). Overall, students
said that they didn’t see the point in participating in the LOVE program. They felt
obligated to share their stories and found it unfair that they were graded on the
stories they shared. Lea Kabilijo, ED of LOVE, said that grading is not part of the
LOVE philosophy (see side-bar). Many of the students felt like the teacher didn’t
fully understand the program herself, and resented that she never really
participated except for grading them. Taryn Scott, CLC coordinator at the time,
spoke to a combination of challenges that year:
 Alyssa, the LOVE coordinator, was not as present in the second year. One
reason for this may have been because the executive director of LOVE had
passed away suddenly, requiring operational changes.
 The teacher in charge was not formally trained to facilitate the LOVE
program.
 The new principal, Mrs. Anwar, was made aware of the situation and
unsuccessful attempts were made to improve things.
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 9
 Another factor might be that the students were tougher and less engaged in
school in general than the students in the first year. This would have required
more coordination and support rather than less.
Results from a survey completed by students shows a significant difference in the
first and second year programs. However, only four students were surveyed from
the second year, so the results don’t accurately reflect what was shared in the focus
group.
Survey to
Students
I enjoyed participating in
the LOVE program.
The LOVE program helped
me to better understand
the different faces and
influences of violence.
The LOVE Program
helped me to develop
strategies for responding
to violence.
The LOVE Program
helped me to behave
differently in violent
situations.
YEAR 1: 2011-12
(33 respondents)
15% strongly agree
15% agree
39% undecided
15% disagree
15% strongly disagree
25% strongly agree
75% agree
9% strongly agree
27% agree
36% undecided
15% disagree
12% strongly disagree
100% agree
3% strongly agree
33% agree
33% undecided
12% disagree
18% strongly disagree
50% agree
33% undecided
6% strongly agree
21% agree
39% undecided
18% disagree
15% strongly disagree
75% agree
25% undecided
YEAR 2: 2012-13
(4 respondents)
The 2013 TTFM graph shows the rates of
bullying, exclusion and harassment. There
was a decrease for each subsequent year at
school. From this data, the LOVE program
could have a greater impact by targeting
students in grades 7 & 8. From the 2014
Qu’anglo parent surveys, 50% of respondents
said their child has a greater sense of
belonging. One parent commented: “My
children feel a sense of belonging and feel
secure about themselves, which helps build
their self-esteem.”
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 10
Outcome Area 2: Students Success
To help support the goal of improving
student literacy, engagement and
self-esteem, the CLC initiated a Book
Club and a Poetry Slam. This section
of the report will evaluate both
programs. Evaluation questions
focused on their level of
participation, why they participated
and if they would participate again if
the project came back. Methods that were used to collect data included surveys and
interviews –with students and teachers. It is important to note that the program
hasn’t been running long enough to observe the impact of behavioural changes
contributing to skill development.
As a NANS school, the first aims and objectives of Joliette High School is identified
in the School Success Plan as follows: 85% or more of students will be reading at
grade level by the end of Cycle 1 (Tool: DRA results, June 2010)5
In January of 2013 a partnership formed between Taryn Scott, Kim Murphy –who
was then the school Librarian - and Natalie Korb, the grade 7 English teacher. Their
goal: to improve the literacy levels among cycle one students. They started with a
book club, inviting Montreal author Monique Polacks to read her books. She had
various books at different reading levels; Kim and Natalie selected which books
were suitable for students.
In April, Taryn set up two video conferences with a CLC partner at James Lyng High
school, for the students to spend an hour with the author. She explained the
importance of reading and writing, spoke about the stories in her books and how
5
Joliette High School MESA 2010-2011
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 11
she came up with them. She gave the students writing exercises and told them to
read her blog. Then she wrote about her discussions with the students on her blog.
This year a different approach was
taken, the book club was opened to
all cycles. Students needed to sign
up to participate. The club started
with ten students and eventually
went down to eight. The students
would meet with Kim and decide
on what book they wanted to read.
They set aside time to meet and
discuss the book - what they liked,
didn’t like, and whether they would recommend the book.
Eight students participated in the book club this year and they all said they enjoyed
participating. In the previous year, when attendance was compulsory, 36 students
participated. 20 enjoyed the club: however, 11 students strongly disliked it. They
commented that they did not like the fact that it was compulsory to participate.
They did say that they would be motivated to return if they had more VC time and
activities with the authors.
Comparing the two years, Kim Murphy said, “In the first year students had to
participate in the book club; it was made mandatory by the teacher. So most didn’t
participate actively. The second year I had a brand new group…way smaller but the
participants chose to be there. We didn’t meet as often as I would have liked only
because they were not available all at the same time. But certainly something I will
re-do again next year.” With regards to impact the club had on students reading
habits, Kim didn’t see any big changes as students were already avid readers.
However, she noted that students appeared more confident after making friends
with others in the book club.
This year, a spoken word poetry project was initiated. David Hodges was invited to
give a two day workshop to the cycle one English class. The first day, he came in
and gave a presentation about poetry slam, which the students had never heard
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 12
about. At the end of the day, he left instructions with the teacher of the class, Tara
Grant, for the students to produce their own poems and to present them in front of
the class. On the second day, they performed. Overall, the feedback from students
was positive. See the results of the survey below.
“I think it was a great opportunity to do this workshop.”
- Sebastien, Sec.1 student
Did you enjoy the
Poetry Slam?
Do you now
understand what
Poetry Slam is
about?
Has participating in
the activity made
you write more?
Has it made you
appreciate poetry
more?
Would you like to
do this activity
again?
Strongly agree
19
10
5
6
19
Agree
13
17
9
14
10
Undecided
5
5
17
12
7
Disagree
4
4
6
5
1
Strongly disagree
6
6
5
5
5
Out of the 17 comments given, 15 students loved the program and would love to
have it again. It is unclear from the students’ responses whether it is helping the
students to write more, with more than half undecided, and 11 in disagreement.
However, it seemed to have made an impact for many of the students.
The teacher of the class, Tara Grant, had some positive
comments: “The workshop overall was an enjoyable
experience. The focus on spoken word poetry was new to the
students and its connection to rap made it a more accessible
type of poetry to study. By the end of the two days students had
a better understanding of slam poetry. David is a wonderful
and talented individual. He has great enthusiasm for the
subject and offers his own poetry and songs to inspire the
students.”
Tara Grant had some constructive feedback as well: “...Students were often
confused and needed more time to think than was allotted. This may have been due
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 13
to our two day budget but I also had to tweak the teaching format for the grade 7
students. If I did not have Kim and Darquise to help the students it would have
been a disaster. I recommend David to consult an educator on how to adjust his
workshop according to level and time frame. Setting a goal or focus for each
workshop on the learning would be beneficial. This being said I would do this
activity again despite the setbacks. It exposes students to a part of the art culture
they would not have access to and hopefully it kindles the creative spark inside all
of them.”
Apparently, the workshop that David usually does is a full week. The school
thought a week was too long, so David agreed to cut it down. Even so, the feedback
from teachers and students was positive and they enjoyed David’s teaching as well
as his own performances.
David had this to say about the experience: “The poetry slam experience at JHS was
amazing! As students walked in and sat down, I couldn't help but feel a good
energy. At first, students were quiet and reserved. I am sure that the thought of
creating a
poem and
reciting it in
front of their
fellow
students
frightened
them.
However,
there was a
change in
their attitude
towards the content of their poems.
With the help of the teachers, we were able to get them engaged on a creative, yet
profound level. A secondary one boy stepped up to the microphone and slammed
these words, ‘I am a black shadow filled with nightmares. I wish I had wings to go
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 14
see Heaven, my Grandfather is stuck there.’ I was floored and realized that no
matter what age you are, or no matter what you think about poetry, you can engage
youth to be creative, to be open, and to share who they are. Slam poetry works and
I've been sharing this workshop with many schools since this experience at JHS.
Thank you!”
Summary
After speaking with Lea Kabiljo from LOVE, Kim would recommend bringing the
program back, but in the way that the LOVE organization presents it in other
schools. They offer it to all grade levels and work with the social worker in the
school to really see which students would benefit from the program. In addition,
the facilitators take the students out of class once a week to work on a project. It
would be necessary to train a person in school to lead the program.
Regarding the book club, Kim would continue the way it was done this past year, by
not making it mandatory like the year before. The students participate more if they
join a club on their own, and when their peers also sign up.
According to Kim, the biggest success this year was the Poetry Slam with the
Sec.1’s. The other success was ‘Hooked on School’ week. The students’ participation
levels were amazing and the volunteers that came out to give a helping hand were
amazing.
Among the challenges is meeting the demands of the community. The CLC is
growing in popularity with many new opportunities. There are more students who
want to participate in the programs, more potential partners to collaborate with,
and more committees to attend. Unfortunately, the capacity to sustain that growth
is limited in that the coordinator works part-time, so can only do so much in that
time.
Though more integrated into the community than before, there is still work to be
done. The coordinator will need to work more with the community to open the
school up to them, to make the CLC more visible and more accessible, and to break
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 15
those barriers that are in place. Developing more (and more diversified)
community partners could contribute to make these projects more sustainable.
Another recommendation would be to do a semi-annual review of their Theory of
Change in order to evaluate whether the CLC is still on track, and responding to the
changing needs of the community. This is already done on an annual basis, however
some of the data is no longer valid after one semester. Verifying the alignment
between the strategic direction, the needs of the school and community, and the
programs in place may contribute to the successful impact of the CLC.
In summary, Kim had the following thoughts: This has been an interesting three
years to watch the CLC grow into something quite magical. With the help of
different partners we have implemented great programs in our school. To finish off
I believe Martin Luther King Jr. best captured what we need to meet our goals:
‘If you can’t run, walk
If you can’t walk, crawl
But by all means keep moving.’
Principal’s message on the CLC contributions to JHS
Having a CLC in my school has created different kinds of learning opportunities,
providing students a different perspective on their education. With the help of the
CLC, the school has now become a place where learning is not only useful - it is fun.
Below, you will find two examples of how the CLC was used this year in our school
and you will find a projection of how it will be used next year. I feel we did a good
job at making the CLC part of the school and not something totally separate. I also
feel teachers are using the CLC in a more practical way; they are now better at
reaching out for Kim’s help with their different project ideas. We still have work to
do on getting the community involved and that is a challenge we will tackle next
year as well.
CLC and Video Conferencing: This experience was new to most teachers and
students and I have to admit I was pretty impressed with the quality of the
presentation and the level of professionalism the expert exposed students to.
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 16
Students are so used to watching something without it being interactive that they
were impressed with the idea of being able to exchange with a doctor in real time,
who was in the process of doing an autopsy! The subjects covered during these
video-conferencing classes were interesting, but it was also very innovative and
different which is what the students remembered. This is definitely something we
will encourage teachers to use next year. We would like to have at least one per
grade level.
Lunch Conference with Vanier: The students involved in these sessions were
quite happy to have been invited. Again, the quality of the information they had to
share was absolutely great. Students were able to ask questions about what CEGEP
is all about and seeing teachers, students and professionals answering these
questions on the spot was reassuring for the students. Next year, if available, we
will have students in secondary 3-4-5 invited so that they too can benefit from this
information. One of our MESA goals is to increase our graduation rate and implied
in that goal is our objective to have more students interested in pursuing higher
education. This initiative ties in perfectly with that goal.
CLC in 2014-2015: As mentioned earlier in my report, I believe we did a great job
at getting the CLC integrated in the school as a useful tool for teachers and
students. Although it was done a little more this year, my mission is to have Kim
report at all staff meetings, teacher councils and governing board meetings. I will
make sure she gets her own agenda point so that she can keep the staff informed of
the great thing she can offer to the school and community. We will also try to work
on getting funding for a project that would be done in partnership with another
CLC in our school board. We feel that by combining forces we would be able to get
more money which would enable us to create bigger programs. It goes without
saying that I cannot imagine JHS without a CLC. I know that our CLC has not
reached its full capacity; we still have a lot to discover but I do believe we are on
the right track and we will work hard at making it even better next year.
JHS CLC Evaluation Report 2014 17
CLC thanks its Community Partners
Thank you to all of our partners who have helped in the past year to make the
Joliette CLC successful. Because of you we have made great progress in making a
difference in the school and community. It has been a pleasure working with all of
you. We look forward to continuing to collaborate in the upcoming year.
Special Thanks
Lyne Scott from Elder Help from Lanaudière
David Hodges
Vera Lachetta, Adult Education
English Community of Lanaudière (ECOL)
James Scott Rawdon Golf club
Ron Young Pastor at United Church
Johanne Either, principal of Rawdon Elementary
Nadia Anwar, principal of Joliette High School
Merle Parkinson, Commissioner at the school board
Authors
The CLC partnered with an independent consultant to develop and conduct the
evaluation and subsequently write this report.
Solomon Krueger, MA
Organizational Change Consultant
514 969 5209
[email protected]
Kim Murphy
Community Learning Centre Coordinator
450 755 1556
[email protected]