Ypres (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – GO! Technical Atheneum in Ypres turns detention into community service, boosting responsibility. Director Kimberley Maricau notes absences dropped from 40% to 6%.
At the GO! Technical Atheneum in Ypres, detention is now different. Students who misbehave do not sit in a classroom doing boring work. Instead, they get helpful jobs that also help the community. These activities happen on Wednesday, January 12, 2025.
One of the jobs is to pick up litter around the school or in the local area. By doing this, students help keep the environment clean. They also think about their actions and how they affect others.
How are students at GO! Technical Atheneum serving the community?
Students at the GO! Technical Atheneum in Ypres may also go to the Huize Sint-Jozef care centre. According to school management, it also helps them develop empathy and social awareness by connecting with older people. The school wants to change discipline into chances for growth. They teach students about responsibility and the value of helping others. The school’s commitment to making students respectful and active members of their community.
Director Kimberley Maricau of the GO! Technical Atheneum in Ypres talked about why the school changed from traditional detention to more meaningful activities. She said they wanted a better option for a long time. The old way of having students sit quietly or do boring tasks was not working. To find a new method, the school asked local organisations for help. The Huize Sint-Jozef care centre agreed to partner with them. This partnership allows students to use their skills helpfully and make a real difference at the care centre.
“We had been looking for an alternative to the detention study for some time,”
says director Kimberley Maricau,
“so we put out a call, and the people at Huize Sint-Jozef responded.“
What skills do students develop through community service at GO! Technical Atheneum in Ypres?
The program connects students’ tasks with their skills to help them contribute in meaningful ways. For example, students who focus on electricity can help fix things at the nursing home. Other students may work at the coffee table, wash dishes, or assist with cleaning. Maricau said that even though the program is new and positive, it is still a form of discipline.
Maricau noted,
“Make no mistake, this is not classic detention, but it is still annoying for students to give up part of their free Wednesday afternoon.”
According to resources, by turning detention into community service, they provide technical and vocational training. Writing for three hours does not help them. By going out, they meet companies and organisations.
Management mentioned that this prepares them for jobs and teaches them skills like being on time and discipline. They also help the community. It is a win-win situation. This new punishment makes more students attend school. Maricau said that students who got detention used to skip it. Some faced trouble and got expelled. Now, that happens less. Last school year, about 40 per cent of students missed detention. Now, only 6 per cent do not show up.
