Grade 12ers prepare for 'real life'

Secondary students were put on the hot seat last week at grad transition interviews

By Maria Rantanen, The Times

Maple Ridge Secondary counsellor Andrew Kowal wants Grade 12 students at his school to realize they'll wake up to real life on July 1, 2013.

And one way to simulate real life is to put them in front of people from the community who will question them on their life so far and ask them about their future plans.

Sort of like a job interview. "[It's a] great opportunity... to sell themselves to someone they've never met," Kowal said.

As part of their graduation transition program, all 270 graduating students at Maple Ridge Secondary take part in rigorous presentations and inter-views with educators and community members where they have to present what they have done so far in their young lives.

All students in the province have to put together a grad transitions package, but how it's done varies from school to school. But Kowal said he feels the way MRSS has set it up requires a lot of effort from the students as they prepare to go out into the real world. 

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