Before school trustees deliberate on July 5 I urge each of them to come and visit Winlaw elementary school when the children are present during its hours of operation (Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.). Fridays the entire school is away from the building at their swim/drama/skateboarding program in Castlegar.
It is one thing to come to an empty school after hours for a meeting. It is quite another to be in the building when it is full of the children who you are considering to displace from the community they call home.
Come on a Wednesday, and you will bear witness to the significant parental and community involvement we maintain at Winlaw school. Come and find out why we have been able to double our enrolment and attract new students to the district.
Come and see why Winlaw school is such a desirable, thriving environment where families from all over the valley and all walks of life are choosing to send their children for schooling.
While being overburdened with facilities planning you must look at the big picture. Our children do not represent dollars and cents, they represent our future. Trustees need to think about the children and the turmoil they will create if they choose to close their school. They know it makes no sense to close a thriving growing school, and it is time to be their voice!
Kaila Ellis, Winlaw