WHS is highlight of EMSB meeting

It was as such that Westmount High was honoured by at the English Montreal School Board’s October meeting, held at the EMSB building on Fielding Avenue in NDG.

The meeting itself raising no controversy or major news—which is often not the case, the Westmount tribute stood out as the meeting highlight.

“We just try to get everyone involved in our school, regardless of what they’re good at or not so good at,� said Westmount principal Claude Dansereau, who has been serving in that role for seven years now.

“Let’s say we have a kid who is very weak in math but is very good socially, we’ll invest in his strength and use him as an ambassador or put him in courses that will highlight his skills.�

When Dansereau took over in 2000, Westmount was as close to the bottom of the barrel as could be. Constantly ranking near the bottom of every major school survey, the new principal’s challenge was to clean up the mess.

“The first thing we did was to take the kids who had special needs that we couldn’t provide and put them into schools that could,� Dansereau said.

“The next was to focus on school spirit and making our students proud of this institution.�

Dansereau was not alone in his efforts, which eventually landed Westmount at the top of the list for public schools without entrance exams.

One of the key pieces of the puzzle is guidance counsellor Karen Allen.

“Right from the beginning of the year, I’m part of the welcoming committee that helps kids make the transition to high school. I build a link with the kids from their elementary schools to here, so when the time comes that a student might have a crisis or just need some guidance, they know they can come to me,� she explained.

“They know me as just ‘Karen’ and that’s important. I feel I have their trust.�

Dansereau has also been able to count on vice principal Linda Saukas.

“I think what makes us special is that the kids feel like they belong now, they feel like Westmount is really their second home and they know they can come to any one of us with any issue they might have,� Saukus said.

“We have a very ‘open door’ policy and our students know they can count on us.�

As enrolment has increased from around 400 kids at the beginning of the Dansereau era to over 700 today, it would appear that Westmount High School has shaken its tough image and is now on the forefront of modern public education.

“I think my experience dealing with tougher cases at Batshaw before coming here has helped me relate to the children and today’s issues,� Dansereau said.

“Naturally, even if this is a ‘regular school’ there is still a certain percentage of kids that are living through some difficult issues.

“We’re just open to those issues and to dealing with them and making sure the kids know they come first.�