Heather Latter
A total of eight presenters, along with members of the student council, stressed the many reasons Donald Young School in Emo should remain open—at its current location—to the DYS Pupil Accommodation Review committee and nearly the 80 residents on hand for the final public consultation there last Wednesday night.
“Donald Young School has for years given to the community and now it is time that we stand up and give back to our school,” remarked Emo Mayor Vincent Sheppard.
“That is why we are here tonight to make a final plea to keep our school.”
The final of four public meetings held by the committee to gather feedback, they are taking into consideration the value to the student, value to the system, value to the community, and value to the local economy before determining a recommendation for the future of the school that will be submitted to the Rainy River District School Board next month.
The options the committee is reviewing includes keeping the school open and renovating, building a new school, consolidating two or more district schools, and closing DYS and moving students to other schools.
While there are many factors for the committee to consider, most Emo residents seemed to be pushing for the first option—to keep the school open and renovate.
However, based on a Facility Condition Assessment conducted in 2003 by a consulting firm through the Ministry of Education, it is estimated it would cost more than $5.6 million to renovate the school.
Yet residents feel some of the replacement costs are inflated. Even Heather Campbell, direction of education for the Rainy River District School Board, admitted it’s possible the numbers are overstated as they were provided by a Ministry of Education database.
“I believe we are all dumbfounded when a report tells us this school needs $5,365,280 in repairs to stay open,” said Mark Loney of Cloverleaf Grocery.
“Look at the floor tiles in this gym,” he remarked. “Why do they need replacing, especially at a cost of $44,175?”
Loney quoted an essay written by Lance W. Roberts from the department of Sociology at the University of Manitoba: “When a school is measured from an engineering perspective, little connection to learning outcomes is evident.”
Loney cited the gym ceiling as an example.
“Does painting the ceiling of this gym, at a cost of $10,398, have anything to do with learning?” he wondered.
“What about replacing all of the interior doors in the school, including this gym, at a cost of $136,207?
“Many repairs not only seem unnecessary but overpriced, such as replacing the stairs to the stage at a cost of $15,480,” Loney added.
He also noted the assessment includes replacement of interior stairs at the cost of $22,018 that do not exist.
The committee acknowledged this discrepancy.
Meanwhile, in a letter submitted by resident Andrew Danylchuk, he questioned the high costs of erecting fences and gates, paving, and leveling of the group.
Loney noted some people in the community cling to the idea of a new school, despite the lack of funding.
“Even if you believe this, you have to ask yourself, what would it look like?” he asked. “At 104 square feet per student, the result is we lose the space equivalent to this gym, plus another 1,000 square feet. . . .
“New would not necessarily be better,” Loney stressed, noting if a mine were to open in the area in the coming years, Emo could see a large influx of families and there would be no room to accommodate more students.
“DYS can be fitted to last a few more years at minimal cost,” he argued. “If we wait a few years, the mine will likely be in operation and there will be a need for a larger school.”
Local resident Kathy Judson of Re/max Realty said having DYS in the township is of vital importance to keep Emo a full service community.
“Should the decision be made to close the school, it could adversely impact the future development that is underway at this time,” she indicated, noting Emo is preparing for growth with three different subdivisions offering more than 100 new lots, plus the process is underway for expanding its sewer and water facilities.
“Donald Young School is paramount to our community, our families, our development, and our growth,” Judson remarked.
“Our youth need this school in our town. Our town needs our youth to stay and grow in our town,” she stressed.
Professional music teacher Renée Martin-Brown said she relies on the location of the school, which is across the street from her house, to offer private piano and voice lessons during school hours.
“If Donald Young School were to close or amalgamate with other schools in the district, many students would be without lessons,” she warned, saying she also would be forced to move her music business to another community as it is her only source of income.
She added many community events use the stage at the school, so any events requiring a stage or large venue seating would not happen in Emo as the school provides the only location with the necessary facilities.
Meanwhile, DYS students, while studying persuasive writing, submitted letters to the accommodation review committee and four students presented theirs at last Wednesday’s meeting.
“Ever since my school has been under review, I’ve been against the idea of closing it down,” said Emma Dykstra. “I’ve been here since I started school and look forward to coming here each day.”
Several noted there would be a large cost to bus students other schools.
“If we lose our school, everyone will have to take a bus and that means more buses, which means more gasoline, which can be costly,” reasoned Deidrick Smith.
“Students who have been going to school together since junior kindergarten or senior kindergarten already have their groups of friends,” noted Taylor McQuaker.
“Friends would be split up. School would never be the same for us,” she lamented.
And they stressed the school is in a prime location.
“Everything we need is only a handful of steps away from where our school stands,” said Jillian Armstrong, citing recreational activities (park, spray park, and arena) and emergency buildings (hospital, police, and ambulance) are nearby.
“The people in this school are like one big family,” McQuaker said. “It might be old but it’s a great place to learn.”
Members of the student council also offered up a slide show highlighting all of the school’s benefits.
The accommodation review committee will meet again March 20 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. to review information from the four public consultation sessions and decide upon a recommendation to submit to the board.
While members of the public are not allow to speak during this meeting, they are welcome to observe the process.
For more information, visit www.rrdsb.com
