Sister School Switch Program: Vancouver Teens Study Across Town

Marcus Marshall (back row, middle) poses for a photo with Windermere Secondary and Churchill Ideal Mini students during the Sister School Switch wrap-up event held at the Vancouver School Board in April.

The Sister School Switch (SSS) program is a wonderful and unique initiative, introduced by the Vancouver District Student Council. SSS pairs up students from eastside and westside schools to spend two days at each other’s schools. Some schools that were paired up this year included University Hill/John Oliver, Magee/Templeton and Britannia/Lord Byng. The main purpose of this is to diminish any negative stereotypes students may have of cross-town schools, and it allows them to hang out and meet new people that they would never have met otherwise. Did SSS prove successful again this year? We got the opportunity to interview grade 9 Britannia student Marcus Marshall, who spent two days at Lord Byng Secondary, to hear his thoughts about life on the other side!

YT: Why did you want to participate in the program?
MM: I wanted to participate because, well, let’s be honest, my first thoughts were, “Hey... you get to ditch school!” but I later took time to realize that an opportunity such as this is really valuable and so interesting. [It allows] students to clear their thoughts, bad or good, and ideas about a place they’ve never been to and for two days you get to experience the day in the life of a, in my case, Lord Byng student. I also decided to do this because my sister, Victoria Marshall, had initiated the idea of this program as a VDSC president at the time and it’s sort of cool to be able to be part of something that someone who is related to you started! I thought it was a lot of fun and I’m glad to have been part of it!

YT: Were you nervous before visiting your sister school?
MM: I wasn’t at all nervous about going to my sister school. Why? Well with a lot of things I’m new to trying, I always go in with a clear positive mind, even if I have my stereotypes about it or beliefs.

YT: What were your perceptions of a westside school before the switch program?
MM: My view points of a typical westside school were students with a superior attitude, imperial behaviour and condescending demeanour.

YT: Did your time at your sister school change those initial perceptions and stereotypes?
MM: Oh my, did it ever! At first, like everybody, I had my assumptions of how people were [going ] to be like and some people were like what I assumed; but the majority wasn’t what I thought. Lord Byng was nothing like how I expected it to be, but nothing is ever what it really seems. Lord Byng is a high school I could see myself going to! The staff was super nice. I was getting a lot of “Hi’s” and “Hello’s” in the hallways from students and I felt really welcomed into their school!

YT: What was your favourite moment/memory from your brief time at your sister school?
MM: I think my favourite moment was showing up each day because it was like, “OMG! I’m super stoked! I wonder what’s going to happen today. I wonder who I’m going to meet? Am I gonna make new friends? This school is awesome!” I was like a kid in a candy store!

YT: Would you recommend this experience to other high-school students?
MM: I would definitely recommend this to other students to take part in it for next year. Why? You get to meet a lot of new people and make new friends and it’s an experience you don’t want to miss out on because it’s totally cool, and what other time are you ever going to go to another school during instructional hours unless you’re on a sports team or transferring?! Not so likely, so do it!

The SSS program is open to students in grades 9 to 12, attending a school within the Vancouver school district. If you’re looking to experience what Marcus and so many other teens did this year, talk to your school administrators and find out how you can get involved!