Inter-A
Inter-A is one of the options available to high school students in British Columbia, Canada. The program is based on developing leadership skills through co-operation, self-motivation and creativity, and is available to students in grades 8–12. Currently Inter-A is situated within Queen Elizabeth Secondary School which is part of School District 36 Surrey. It has a current student population of 134, with 6 teachers
History
The Inter-A program was devised by Victor Vollrath and John Harper in the mid-1970s. The two teachers were sharing a classroom and teaching at opposite sides when they came to the realization that this way of teaching was highly productive for students. In fact, individual students with the skills and motivation to excel maintain this level of productivity to this day. Thus, Inter-A was born.The program was originally located at Len Shepherd Secondary School. There it remained for many years, and the school was separated into Inter-A and the original Len Shepherd students evenly.
Inter-A started off small, with thirty or fewer students ranging from grades 8-10 and eventually extended to grade 12 with the first grad class of 3 students graduating in 1992. Two of those grads are still married and 2 of the four grads of 1993 are still married in 2020.
Inter-A moved to Kwantlen Park Secondary School in 2002, opening the door to many more students. Victor Vollrath and John Harper retired as teachers a year later, but their ideas were passed off onto the new teachers.
The program moved to Queen Elizabeth Secondary School at the beginning of the 2017/18 school year due to overcrowding at Kwantlen. Inter-A is located on the third floor of the C-wing.
COVID-19 jeopardized much of the traditional layout of the program, with grades being separated from each other to fight the spread of the virus. This meant that many of the previously run co-grade projects were unable to happen. At the beginning of the 2021/22 school year, a slow transition back to the co-grade structure began.
Academics
Inter-A students can be found in the hallways at different times of the day, which suggests that Inter-A has more freedom than its mainstream counterpart. It offers all the electives necessary for graduation and a place at any University or College in British Columbia or in Canada. The main differences are that Physical Education is demanded of the students until graduation, Fine Arts programs are chosen by the students, and the Inter-A Component.The students are broken off into two categories: Intermediates and Seniors. There are six blocks in the day, as opposed to the standard four to accommodate the average high school attention span. There are also six units of six weeks per school year, with a report card at the end of each one, as opposed to the two-semester system. Inter-A uses Greek letters for its blocks instead of the A-D blocks Queen Elizabeth uses
Physical Education
Physical Education classes are divided into groups based on grades. Juniors, grades 8-9 do P.E. together and Seniors, grades 10-12 do it together. In these grades, students are given options they vote for, and attend until the unit ends. Usually bi-weekly, but sometimes every week, students participate in a 30-minute run along a route adjacent to the school grounds called 'Celebration of Cardio', though its unofficial name is 'endurance'. In previous years, the runners would collect popsicle sticks at designated stops along the route, but the physical popsicle sticks have been phased out in favor of students remembering the stops and tallying up the total in their head. The majority of students get anywhere from 8-11 sticks, equivalent to about 2 laps of the route, but some can get as many as 16 or 17. Students can run their own P.E. options, but teachers are the ones to usually run them. All marks are out of 100% but are then scaled down to 75%. The remaining 25% goes to the Inter-A Component, which is based on three criteria. The three criteria are: Community Service, Choice, and CPPStudio/Fine Arts
Fine Arts occurs once per week, usually on Wednesday. In return for only having one art block per week, the block consists of either the entire morning or entire afternoon. Like P.E. students can choose their own option and can run their own option. Each unit however usually has an overall theme such as movement or etc.All marks are out of 100% but are then scaled down to 75%. The remaining 25% goes to the Inter-A Component, which is based on three criteria. The three criteria are: Community Service, Choice, and CPP
Community service
Community Service, often shortened to Service, is a core part of the Inter-A program. Each student must complete 10 hours of service each unit. Service can range from tutoring a fellow student to helping out at your local temple or church. A log must be kept by each student and handed in at the end of each unit. Service makes up 10% of the grade of every subject. Most students go beyond the required hours, and awards are given out at the end of the year to the individuals with the most accumulative hoursInside Service
Service is divided into two types. Inside Service are hours completed within the school or with the direct oversight of school administrators or teachers. This includes tutoring, cleaning of rooms, trash pickup, or building props for school games or plays. Many inside service options do not require an individual contract, as the leader will keep track of service.Outside Service
Outside Service is all service gained outside of school. This can range from volunteering at local events or religious institutions, to picking up trash in a local park. A contract is required for all outside service, and must have the details of the supervisor. Only half of the needed hours can be earned doing outside service, but unlimited hours may be completed to add to the cumulative total.CPP
Career and Personal Planning is a core part of the Inter-A program. Similar to Career Service Learning, the students set SMART goals for themselves using a template given out each unit, as well as goals for the whole year. Tri-weekly, they must complete an update on these goals, as well as an update on service hours, and get the CPP sheet signed by their parent/guardian and CPP teacher. A portfolio of the student's work is also gathered in this class as evidence of their academic progress. CPP marks make up 5% of every grade a student receives.CSL
Career Service Learning is an integral part of Inter-A. Students plan leadership activities for both in school and out of the school environment. They must keep a weekly journal for the class, and talk about how their leadership is progressing. CSL makes up 5% of every grade.Choice
Students in grades 8, and 9 can propose to run a choice seminar. A choice seminar is a student-led class, based on their knowledge of a particular subject, whether it be Spider-Man or motorcycles. The student will then be required to teach their peers about that particular subject, through visuals, demonstrations, group activities, or however else they see fit. Attending and handing in an assignment based on the leader's subject is part of an Inter-A student's choice work. Students can also attend other student's choice seminars and are required to attend a minimum of 8 seminars. Running a seminar can give the credit of attending 1-4 seminars, based on the quality of the presentation.Math
For students in grades 8 through 10, Math is self paced. At the end of every chapter they must get their "Math Tracker" signed to signify they understand the concepts, then take the test. If they pass, they may go on to the next chapter. This age bracket sits in mixed age, mixed ability groups, called "Inter-A groups". The Inter-A group was made to teach group skills, leadership, and problem-solving. An Inter-A group should include even members of each gender, students of different ages/grades when possible, students of different skill levels and students who often do not work with each other.Grades 11 and 12 students work with a teacher in a traditional setting, as opposed to the self-taught younger grades, as the subject matter is more difficult to grasp. However, once a week the younger students attend a Math Tutorial led by a teacher or a more experienced student. Calculus 12 is not offered in Inter-A at this time, but all three math streams are offered until the grade twelve level.
When COVID-19 began, the self-paced math model was removed from Inter-A, with a more tradition structure being adopted for the younger grades. There is a possibility that self-paced math could be re-introduced at some point in the future, but that is yet to happen.
Peer Tutoring
There is a number of peer tutoring options in Inter-A. COMAS and COLAS are two service options that run regularly throughout the school year. To participate, there must be one student who is the tutor, and one who is the tutee. Both can earn service within the option. If you want to do peer tutoring on a day when those two options aren't running and want to earn service hours, then you must get a service contract signed by a teacher certifying the tutoring sessions. Tutoring outside of Inter-A is available through QE clubs and programsExtracurricular activities
Students wishing to attend a post secondary art school are recommended to attend a specialized high school whose focus is more art-based. That is not to say that Inter-A children cannot participate in other school events; sports, theater and all clubs are open to members of Inter-A and Queen Elizabeth students.Ultimate Frisbee is one of the most popular sports within the program, and many students participate both in school teams and Ultimate clubs like Vortex. One of the Inter-A teachers, Christopher Wakelin, is the coach of the QE ultimate team, which adds to its popularity within the program.
An Inter-A play is often run annually. "The Grounding of Donnie Greener", written by Roger Blenman, and was a success.
Inter-A has several Destination Imagination teams. The teams often place second or better in Provincial Tournaments, and several have gone on to score highly at the World Finals in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Math Club is available after school some days for students who struggle, need service, or just love math and need somewhere to do it.
A "Herd" is when the Inter-A students come together for an information session in one of the three Inter-A classrooms.