St. Agnes Community School

Description

This is the St. Agnes elementary school in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

Sociological Interpretation

In this photo, the elementary school, St. Agnes, looks like an ordinary school. The building is plain, and one would assume it is like any other school. This elementary school is considered a “community” school, having a majority of underprivileged children in attendance.

An institution is defined as “a set of organized relationships, structured interactions, patterned behavior, and regularized and routine collective actions that are geared to or serve to meet some problem, need or drive.” (Knutilla, 52). The children at St. Agnes community school often have more problems and needs than an average student. For example, the school often encounters students that are not being adequately fed. St. Agnes works to provide numerous social programs to benefit the students, including ‘the breakfast program’. Many of these children do not come from stable homes, and often do not eat the most important meal of the day. St. Agnes has this program to ensure their students do not go hungry. This school has children with unique needs, leading to remarkable relationships and roles of students and teachers. Many teachers put in longer hours, in attempts to increase funding for the variety of extra programs needed. Many of the families are in need of help, leaving the teachers to be very leery as to how children are being treated in the homes. One would not realize all of these different relationships and behaviors taking place at St. Agnes community school simply by looking at the picture itself.