Ken Johnston
Almost 50 people attended the second public meeting of the Accommodation Review Committee last Tuesday night at Our Lady of the Way School in Stratton.
ARC chairman Anthony Leek was very pleased to see such a turnout given the first meeting only saw nine people attend.
“It is great to see such a turnout,” he said. “It signifies the importance of this school by your turnout.”
ARC committee member and former OLW principal Mark Hyatt made the first presentation of the evening.
He spoke in both religious and general ethical terms, urging public presenters not to criticize staff or the school board for past actions, and to especially not name people specifically for actions in the past.
Quoting the Bible, Hyatt referred to Matthew 7:1: “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”
Mary-Catherine Kelly, director of education for the Northwest Catholic District School Board, then spoke about several items.
She addressed a request made at the last meeting that the minutes from two school council meetings last spring be shared.
“There were no formal minutes taken. Just notes,” Kelly revealed.
Kelly noted there were several phone calls and e-mails to the board office last spring, followed by the two council meetings, where parents packed the gym, concerned about the way the school was functioning.
“I did listen to the concerns,” she stressed. “We met with the principal to ensure things could be done to improve the school for students.”
Kelly said the board had taken steps in June to improve the school, and had hoped the number of students would remain the same in the fall.
But five families chose not return.
With declining enrolment (down to 13 this school year from more than 80 two years ago and topping 50 last year), the number of extras kids get are limited. Things like sports were cut back to basically nil.
The school was divided into two classrooms of four grades each—with two teachers and education assistants available to each group.
With 13 students, the school will see even deeper cuts to services. It will have one class with all grades in it and only a half-time principal.
Kelly noted that current OLW principal Darlene Fejos-Rousseau will be transferred to St. Michael’s in Fort Frances in the fall and that former principal Brendan Hyatt will return to the school half-time.
Margo Saari, superintendent of education for the Northwest Catholic School Board, then presented the projected grades and the number of students based on current enrolment for next fall.
She said next year they think there will be one in junior kindergarten, two in Grade 2, two in Grade 3, five in Grade 5, one in Grade 6, and one in Grade 8.
Of the current 13, Saari also noted only two are Catholic.
“Our school is open to all students,” she said.
Public presentations
Stephanie Hyatt spoke to the issue of teachers losing their jobs due to the declining enrolment.
“We, as teachers, fear that if OLW closed or keeps going down, we could lose five more teachers [in the Catholic system],” she warned.
“We hope that relationships can be repaired and reverse this.”
Former OLW teacher Mary Curtis then gave an emotional and heartfelt message to the ARC. She said she had her first teaching job with the board and was there when the school was built and opened 25 years ago.
Curtis referenced the two school council meetings from last spring, saying, “There were minutes taken. Parents had concerns they wanted addressed.”
“This is not about book shelves or the colour of books,” she stressed. “This is about their children.
“They had meetings with the administration with no satisfaction,” Curtis recalled. “Parents wept openly at those meetings—pleading with the board and administration to make changes.”
Curtis said many parents had planned to pull their kids out of the school sooner, but decided to wait until the school council meetings to see if changes could be made.
“There was a drop of 40 students after the meetings,” she noted.
Curtis said the decline is a result of “poor leadership . . . for not implementing changes needed . . . the newly-assigned principal is a year too late.”
“He [Brendan Hyatt] saved this school before, but he is facing a steep uphill battle,” she warned.
“Hearing tonight that there will only be one teacher here next year, I find myself asking who wants this school?” added Curtis.
“I believe the board is hiding under the declining enrolment umbrella.”
Curtis ended her presentation by playing a recording of the more than 100 students who sang the school song at the grand-opening 25 years earlier.
Her presentation and the song garnered a round of applause from the crowd.
Sheldon Olson of Stratton was next to speak. He noted that another ARC is looking at the public school in Barwick and he feels it may close.
“If Sturgeon Creek School in Barwick and Sturgeon Creek Alternative Program [also in Stratton] relocates to Emo, there will not be an elementary school between Rainy River and Emo,” he said.
“Families have told me that there are residual issues here [at OLW],” Olson continued. “Parents have said that if they are resolved, and staff shuffled and promoted, many would send their kids to OLW if Barwick closes.”
Morley Coun. George Heyens also spoke to the ARC. From the municipality’s perspective, OLW is a key to community’s future.
“People come to a town and look for medical and educational facilities,” he remarked. “With the mine getting set to open, we feel some people will want to live in a rural area.
“But if there is no school here, they may look elsewhere,” he stressed.
Leek ended the meeting by thanking everyone for their presentations, adding that Curtis’ playing of the school song personally moved him.
“As a former student here from 1994-98, and now a substitute teacher here on occasion, I find myself singing that song,” Leek said.
“I now realize how important this school is here.
“I hope more people come out and talk about how important it is at the next meeting,” he added.
The third ARC meeting is slated for Wednesday, May 29 at 6:30 p.m. at OLW.
