I. General Information
School Name: Timberline Secondary
School District: SD#72 Campbell River
Inquiry Team Members: james.zlatanov@sd72.bc.ca
Lindsey.fennell@sd72.bc.ca
NATASHA.UBRIACO@sd72.bc.ca
anne.tenning@sd72.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: james.zlatanov@sd72.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Not applicable
Focus Addressed: Self-regulation
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Beyond the here and now.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: Our scanning process focused on understanding the reasons behind chronic absenteeism and how attendance influences future opportunities. Using attendance data, surveys, and individual student conversations, we explored the questions: What’s going on for our learners? And how do we know?
Student voice revealed that many learners have clear goals for their future, but face barriers such as anxiety, trauma, family challenges, limited support systems, and low confidence. Through relationship-building and listening to students’ stories, we learned that a strong sense of belonging and connection is essential for engagement.
Guided by the First Peoples Principles of Learning, we recognized that learning is relational and that emotions, well-being, and supportive relationships play a critical role in student success. Our scanning highlighted the need to strengthen connections, belonging, and students’ understanding of how regular attendance supports future opportunities.
Focus: We selected attendance as our focus because it emerged as the greatest barrier to student success, engagement, and future opportunities. Through our scanning, we found that many students had clear goals for their future but were struggling to attend regularly due to a variety of personal and social challenges. We hoped to increase students’ sense of belonging, strengthen connections with trusted adults, and help learners better understand the link between regular attendance and achieving their future goals.
Hunch: Our hunch was that many students felt disconnected from school and did not consistently see it as meaningful or connected to their future goals. We also recognized that traditional school structures and limited time for relationship-building may not have been fully meeting the needs of students experiencing anxiety, trauma, or complex family situations. We believed that increasing authentic connections, student voice, mentorship, and future-focused learning opportunities could improve engagement, belonging, and attendance.
New Professional Learning: As part of our inquiry, four team members attended the 2026 NOIIE Conference, where we explored several areas of professional learning related to student engagement, belonging, and accountability. Key sessions included Ron Berger’s work on Beautiful Work, self-assessment, and student accountability; discussions of Braiding Sweetgrass and Indigenous ways of knowing; Gordon Neufeld’s attachment-based approach from Hold On to Your Kids; Dr. Grenz’s Medicine Wheel for the Planet; and Dr. Martin Brokenleg’s Circle of Courage framework.
These resources reinforced the importance of relationships, belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity in supporting student success. To support colleagues’ learning, team members shared key takeaways during NOIIE meetings, engaged in collaborative discussions, and reflected together on how these ideas could be applied to improve student engagement, attendance, and connection to school.
Taking Action: Our team developed an action crew to regularly review attendance and engagement data, identify students requiring additional support, and coordinate follow-up interventions. We created opportunities for connection and belonging through experiential learning activities, including trips with our Linear and Bridge programs, visits to North Island College, and transition activities designed to help students connect current learning with future opportunities.
We strengthened transition supports by developing questions and conversations for Grade 9 students, organizing visits to Southgate Middle School, and creating opportunities for students to connect with peer leaders. Learning from our inquiry was shared through staff meetings and professional learning opportunities, including work with Anne Tenning focused on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the First Peoples Principles of Learning.
As our inquiry evolved, we explored changes to programming that would better meet student needs and increase engagement. We strengthened connections with families and community partners to better understand and address barriers to attendance and disengagement. Looking ahead, we plan to further integrate concepts such as the Medicine Wheel and 13 Moons teachings into student learning, while creating opportunities for students to contribute their voice, take ownership of initiatives, and become active participants in shaping their school experience.
Checking: Throughout the inquiry, we gathered attendance data, student voice, and observations from staff to monitor progress and identify areas for growth. The evidence showed increased awareness of the factors contributing to absenteeism, stronger connections between students and staff, and greater engagement in conversations about future pathways and belonging.
While we are encouraged by the progress made, we recognize that this work is still very much in progress. The inquiry has helped build staff capacity through professional learning and strengthened our understanding of how relationships and connection influence attendance. We were not fully satisfied with where we ended, as we see significant opportunities to go deeper, grow our team, and take more action in the future. The inquiry has provided a strong foundation for continued work focused on student engagement, belonging, and attendance.
Reflections/Advice: One of our biggest learnings was the importance of having the right people involved in programs such as Linear, Bridge, and Flex, and ensuring they are part of the planning process from the beginning. Building a shared vision and creating opportunities for collaboration early on helped strengthen the impact of our work and increased staff commitment to the inquiry.
What began as a focused Grade 9 attendance and transition inquiry evolved into a broader school-wide conversation about transitions, belonging, and student success. We learned that meaningful change often starts small but can grow when supported by strong relationships, collaboration, and ongoing reflection.
Our advice to other schools is to start with a manageable focus, involve key staff members early, and listen closely to student voice. Be prepared for the inquiry to evolve as new learning emerges, and allow students’ needs to guide the direction of the work.