Options and Opportunities (O2)
Information on Applications for Grade 9 Families
Please know this is all covered in school, presentations are made to the grade 9 classes and during the parent information night that is typically held around February.
Applications are printed here at school and given to students and families at this time
Online copies are here if needed. Due dates will posted on this website as the time comes.
View this document to get all the information that will be presented to the grade 9 students around February:
O2 Parent Presentation.pdfView this document for a copy of the O2 Application form. Paper copies are made and handed out at school during around February:
Copy of O2 Student Application Form.doc.pdfThe WorkIt Project for Sept 2021 - we took the outdoor flower beds which were mostly weeds and prepped and put down sod in place of the mulch. The students learned lots about labour work, soil, plant growth and sod work related to landscaping. Thank you Musquodoboit Valley Quality Sod for supporting this project and learning opportunity!
The WorkIt project for Sept 2020. These projects are overseen by a trade personnel allowing the students to get hands on exposure to various workplace skills. Very proud of the students who worked with this project and a huge thank you to Wayne Erskine for teaching them these skills!
Some students learn better by doing, experimenting and practicing. Students enrolled in the Options and Opportunities Program, better known as O2, are able to do this by being engaged through active learning in their school as well as their community.
O2 is a three year program designed to help students work toward a career or occupation in learning contexts that respond to their learning needs, providing linkages to the workplace and other post-secondary destinations. Through a range of authentic learning experiences and an integrated career education approach, students in O2 are able to make connections with career pathways and make more informed decisions about what they want to do after high school.
Some of the career pathways and programs explored by O2 students:
Trades and Technologies
Business and Education
Health and Human Services
Hospitality and Tourism
Arts, Culture, and Recreation
Information Technology (IT)
Law Enforcement and Military
To visit Options and Opportunities and Cooperative Education Website at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, click here. To visit the HRCE website with information on the Options and Opportunities Program and Cooperative Education click here.
Students who complete high school through the O2 program will be able to demonstrate the following:
an ability to articulate a career plan
strong employability and personal skills
personal awareness of their skills and strengths
increased knowledge of career options
increased preparedness to transition from school to life/ work pathway
Frequently Asked Questions:
1) What is O2?
O2 is a 3 year program at MRHS that delivers the regular high school courses by alternate means. The students benefit by experiencing out of school activities and learning the curriculum by working together. The program exposes and prepares students to enter the workforce and post-secondary education through training, certification and connections to the real world.
2) Does it limit my post secondary options?
Absolutely not! In fact it will prepare you for whatever you choose to pursue after high school. You can attend University, NSCC or enter the workforce. The program will better prepare you to pursue whatever you choose.
3) How many students are accepted?
Every year MRHS accepts 20-22 students into the program. There is an application process and every student will be interviewed that submits an application. Interviews will take place in March or April.
4) What courses do you have to take?
When you are in the O2 program you must take the following courses: Career Development 10, Community Based Learning 10, Career Development 11, and three Cooperative Education courses. You will also complete all of the other mandatory graduation courses that all students take. Each year, your English course and one other course may be an O2 cohort course.
5) What is Community Based Learning?
It is a grade 10 course where, as a class, the students make connections between school and the real world. There are lots of guest speakers and field trips and certifications that make up this course. This year, for example, we will visit career fairs, the airport, NSCC, Recycling Centre, Feed NS and an entrepreneurship event. Students will have the opportunity to complete many credentials including First Aid/CPR, WHMIS Safety Training and Food Handler Safety Training.
6) What is CO-OP?
Cooperative education is a course where the student goes out to work in a field of their choosing for 100 hours. This usually occurs 1 day a week and takes place during the school day. This is a high school credit and some universities are recognizing it as a course for admission.
7) How is being in O2 different than being in regular classes?
In O2 you will go on many more field trips and be exposed to many more career options than other students. We have an O2 classroom that is set up like any other classroom. You will spend lots of time in your cohort /O2 group. Students do develop a sense of family or community as they spend a lot of time together.
8) How long is the program?
The O2 program is a 3 year program that will give you an Options and Opportunities Certificate upon Graduation. This will give you a preferred seat at NSCC (although some programs do require interviews/portfolios). Graduating students may also choose to attend university, other colleges, begin an apprenticeship or head into directly into the workforce.
9) Is it hard to catch up on work?
Yes we do spend a lot of time out of the school but time is built into the day for students to make up missed time. Since we do have a team of O2 teachers, they are aware of when students will not be in class and they work with them to ensure completion of projects.
10) Do you have to get good marks?
Of course we all want good marks. They are not required for admission into the program. It is the goal of the O2 teaching team to ensure that students meet with success and pass all courses.
11) Does it cost anything?
No, the Options and Opportunities program is a well funded program and supplies everything a student will need.
12) How do I apply?
Your guidance department has the applications. You will need to complete the application and get two reference letters, one from a teacher and one from a community reference person. The application forms and reference letter forms are also available on the O2 website.
Application will be due and interviews will take place in late March/early April. All students who complete the application package by the deadline will receive an interview.