Dean Coder

Principal Dean Coder of the Barriere school says the ranking is based on a very limited number of indicators, manly the performance of students on government exams.

"In 2004 - 2005 our school was ranked at 254 with an index of .5. In 2005 - 2006 we went from .5 to 2.4 yet dropped in ranking to 285," noted Coder, "This shows how variable this indicator is."

Coder stated that Valleyview Secondary School over the previous three years went from 122 to 64 to 139 and their index only changed by 1 point in the Institute's rankings.

"The formula, especially for small rural schools, shows there are considerable variables in this measure."

Coder stated that one of the criteria is the number of Provincial exams taken.

"The moment a school like BSS enrolls students in our skills program through Thompson Rivers University we are reduced to only one exam."

Last year a BSS student who was the winner of the Skills Competition in BC and then brought home a silver medal from the National Skills Competition in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was not calculated into the rankings.

"BSS was actually punished because the student didn't write three Provincial Exams," said Coder.
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Coder noted that while he was the principal of the Valemount high school he had one student who wrote the Provincial Physics 12 exam and the school average that was then reported out by the Institute was 92 per cent.

"One student that is very strong or weak, that's what gets reported out based on Provincial Exams," said Coder, "The way we do the measure at BSS is by our School Plan that is put together with parent and student involvement.

Dean Coder School District 73 - Contact Dean Coder

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New principal for BSS - Dean Coder

New principal for Barriere Secondary School is Dean Coder.
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"I personally have come for a five year commitment to School District 73 and it is my intent to be committed to BSS," claims Dean Coder; one of Barriere Secondary School's (BSS) and the community's newest arrivals. The father of two daughters, one currently enrolled at Mount Royal College in Calgary and one enrolled in grade nine at BSS, Coder and his wife, Diana are in the process of locating a permanent residence in Barriere. Coder's time at BSS will be a first for him in the role as "principal".After teaching for years in Valemount, as well as garnishing administrative experience as Teacher in Charge (the equivalent of Vice Principal) he is looking forward to wearing this new hat. "I love teaching, especially Math.It is one of the passions in my life, but I saw the role of principal as the greatest opportunity to impact student achievement," said Coder. Comfortable wearing many hats, he currently sits on the District Math Committee, will occupy the principal's position and will teach next semester. This is a departure from his dreams as a youth.Raised in Prince George, Coder had aspirations "to be a hockey player when I grew up."It was never his goal to pursue higher education, he didn't become a teacher until the age of 31. "When that (hockey) didn't pan out, I moved on to construction and eventually landed in Dawson Creek as a telecommunications technician for five years." After asking himself, "Is this all there is?"Coder and his wife relocated to Vancouver Island where he pursued his teaching degree at the University of Victoria, "and she pursued her PHT (Put Husband Through) degree," he informs, tongue in cheek. Once his undergraduate work was completed he and his family migrated to Valemount where they have enjoyed life in a small town. "I love rural communities," says the new principal, "I knew as soon as I walked into Barriere it was very similar to Valemount.It was a natural transition." What will the family miss most?Not having an ice rink in the community.Diana is an accomplished speed skater and coach, sitting on the Provincial Board for Speed Skate BC, daughter Amanda will be commuting to Kamloops three times a week for training in the sport and Dad will be traveling in the opposite direction to play recreational hockey in Clearwater this winter. When asked about some of the challenges that lay ahead in the high school, Coder responded, "I always try to think of new ways to do things." Acknowledging every child's experience will be a unique one, given the constraints of timetabling small rural schools, his goal is to offer choices to students.Currently seven out of eight video conferencing courses are being utilized by BSS students. "Technology is at the forefront and is something we are working on right now," says Coder.

Barriere Secondary School principal Dean Coder shows one of the terminals used for the video conferencing program at the school.
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It is still a work in progress for our school, but now we have worked out some of the difficulties and the it is running well", Barriere Secondary Principal Dean Coder commented in a recent interview. This program allows Grade 12 students to take courses not offered in Barriere. For this program, a class taught at North Kamloops Secondary School is transmitted via computer and video camera to students at Barriere.A small classroom is equipped with an intercom and television set allowing students to interact with their instructor. "This program is still new for students and teachers, but we are constantly making improvements and are making progress", Coder commented.At this time two courses are offered, Western civilization and history.Since these are not included in the Barriere Secondary School curriculum, senior students have the opportunity to include them in their senior grade course of studies.At this time 250 students attend Barriere Secondary School; the five-year enrollment projection indicates that it will shrink to about 180 students.This is an accurate prediction, since enrollment numbers are available from the elementary school successively over a period of years, indicating the number of students coming up to high school. The reason for declining enrollment is demographic. "Barriere and area is facing an aging population trend, and there is nothing we can do about it - it is not only affecting Barriere, all rural communities are shrinking" Coder stated."Young people living in a rural environment, have undeniable advantages.They have closer, more personal connections to their teachers, and develop life skills accordingly".Although there will be inevitable changes bound to affect Barriere Secondary School, Principal Coder emphasized that, "A

Participating last Tuesday in Barriere for the video conference meeting of School District 73 to discuss a proposed School Support Spending Plan are (l to r) PAC Chair Shannon Tengs, parent Pat Appel, District 73 Trustee Joanne Stokes, PAC vice-chairman Maryann Canaday and Dean Coder, principal of Barriere Secondary School.

Dean Coder - Principal - @KOOL 3550 Westsyde Road, Kamloops, BC, Canada, V2B 7H4 Phone: 250-579-3328 Fax: 250-579-5942
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Email: Dean Coder

School District #73 - Kamloops / Thompson Region 1383- 9th Ave, Kamloops, BC, V2C 3X7 Phone: (250) 374-0679 Fax: (250) 372-1183