Possible closing of Stuart Wood school ‘shocking,’ ‘absurd’

NEWS — When Kamloops-Thompson school trustees meet Monday night to talk about recommendations for changes to who goes to which schools, they’ll have on their desks a raft of emails and letters already condemning the move.

As reported earlier by The Armchair Mayor, the plan calls for shuffling students among various schools in an attempt to maintain a numbers balance as populations and needs shift in catchment areas.

The ideas were first broached in December, and that’s when the reaction began. While parking and traffic are concerns for parents at schools like Sahali secondary and Westmount elementary, the biggest worry comes from the downtown area over the possible closure of the historic Stuart Wood elementary.

Assistant superintendent Karl deBruijn has stated that while the school’s enrolment is expected to increase slightly over the next few years “it is not well suited to a modern school.”

He recommends putting Stuart Wood students in the Beattie school site at McGill Road. “This site would offer a more modern building and address the shortcomings of the Stuart Wood site,” he says.

Many in the downtown area clearly beg to differ.

“I think it is absurd that kids keep getting moved around to different schools…. Please keep schools in the neighbourhoods and kids in their neighbourhoods. Seriously!” wrote Lara Plummer.

Former Stuart Wood student Robin Sutherland, now in Grade 12, wrote, “Please, if you care about today’s young children, then don’t close Stuart Wood elementary. Let them have the amazing experiences I had: building snowmen and forts during lunch hour, and singing Christmas carols in the front hall every morning in December; collecting chestnuts in the fall and playing soccer in the spring.”

Kim Harnell, a mother of two students at Stuart Wood, said she was “shocked and disappointed” to learn of the school’s possible closure.

“It is extremely unfortunate and inconsiderate that the school board has taken away virtually all options for the downtown residents to access public education in their catchment area.”

She added, “I immediately felt sadness that the school board would even consider closing such a beautiful heritage school that is situated in the heart of downtown Kamloops.”

Hartnell said closing the school would create “an unnecessary burden” on many families. “Essentially by closing the only public school in downtown Kamloops, the board is choosing to divide the community.”

Frank Dwyer, whose now-grown children attended Stuart wood, said the decision shouldn’t be made simply on statistics.

“Is there value in the link between the past and a perhaps fast moving world in retaining a beautiful heritage school as a source of pride and as a part of the education experience?”

Both the Kamloops Heritage Commission and the Kamloops Central BIA are on the side of keeping Stuart Wood open. Closing it “might do irreparable damage to the heritage significance of the school and the community,” wrote heritage chair Andrew Yarmie, while the KCBIA stressed the importance of keeping schools open in downtown areas of cities.