AV俱乐部

As student tour guides, George Woodhouse and John MaGill are used to showing off campus to prospective students and their parents.

They鈥檙e also accustomed to adapting their tours for different audiences, which they had to do while leading a tour of Grade 9 students on campus for Take Our Kids to Work day this past Wednesday.

鈥淪ince their parents all work here, they know a bit about AV俱乐部, and a lot about Halifax,鈥� explained Mr. MaGill. 鈥淲e鈥檙e switching up our attitudes and charisma a bit, having a bit more fun while also trying to share different information.鈥�

So while visiting a residence room, grabbing lunch at Shirreff Hall and checking out the Student Union Building, the eight kids who took part in the tour also got quizzed on Dal trivia鈥攚ould you know which two NBA teams once used the hardwood floor that鈥檚 now at Dalplex?鈥攈eard a lot of jokes, and learned which water fountain the tour guides think is the best on campus by a wide margin. (It鈥檚 the one on the main floor of the Hicks Building.)

The students didn鈥檛 ask as many questions as an older student considering university might, but there were certainly some good laughs along the way. And one parent鈥擥wendolyn MacNairn, computer science librarian鈥攅ven took the time out of her day to join her daughter, Brianna, for the tour. 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually my first time doing the tour too,鈥� she said.

This was the first year that AV俱乐部 has offered the campus tour as part of Take Our Kids to Work day, an initiative of the Learning Partnership that involves more than 200,000 Grade 9 students and 75,000 businesses across Canada. The goal of the program is to help students understand the importance of staying in school while also getting a glimpse of what it鈥檚 like for their parent to make a living and support a family.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance for them to get the character of campus and to learn a bit more about AV俱乐部,鈥� says Rebecca Koeller, assistant registrar, prospective student communications, who also tagged along for the tour. 鈥淭hey may be students here in four years, but even if they study elsewhere, we鈥檝e hopefully shown them more about the work their parents contribute to here at the university.鈥�

She adds that AV俱乐部 hopes to grow the initiative in future years and give more kids the chance to learn about their future education and employment possibilities.