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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2000-06-28, Page 7Featuring... THE HURON EXPOSITOR, Jun* 211, 2000-7 School was a great Christmas present By Pad Carroll Farmer Principal. Superintendent and Director of F:dacation \ore: For it mor' comp/err acmes. of WPS history and the .educational highlights from rhe village of Halton and !revghboainng r..v.nshipi. see. Grey. Township and its Pecyrie tiv Manlin.Engel. and Norris TowYtship Parr h1•Presenr, by Jeanne Kntlhv. ' On Wednesdas: Dcc.• 5. 1962. then school board chair. W'ilfted Shote ed. and Public School inspector. J.H.,(Jim) Kinkhead. pnwdly led a parade of schoolchildren childrcn to •otic yanking neo. Walton.Public School(WPS). it.was a great Chnstma_s present for the Village of Walton and the childrcn from Morris. Gres and McKillop. It was a special .treat for trustees like die late Don McDonald who spent. a lifetime of cer'ice for the 'education of children. The stung students housed in the former Walton School - Mocns. Grey. McKillop. USS a-1.1. just across .the road..and from three other buildings in the townships. marched siolemnh • but proudts to their new quarters. Barbara Brs ans. a -delighted student. cut the ribbon with the assistance of Randy Miller and Cathy McDonald at the �fiw-sal opening held a week later on Dec. 12. The rtes.four room. Grades 1- to 8 school. -marked a - 'triumphant conclusion to. months of planning and negotiation by the five -member school board - and a three-month delay resulting from the 'shortage of construction materials'. ' It was a 'state of the art' facility with a 'folding' wall etWeen two of•the classrooms. which could be moved to zreate a larger assembly space.or playroom if needed. Modern washrooms. a contemporary furnace.•a good well. and -even a staff mom completedthe facility. - The spacious playground ensured an abundance of space (or energetic pupils to play and to participate in 'physical ;dtr`ation seas ities. • the 1962 building cost of some S84.000.-• even with its ...Walton Public School .S10.000 cost over -run was less than the almost $100 000 budget for adding only two classrooms to the facility in 1989 and certainly much less than the cost for a library addition and kindergarten upgrade in .1993 at .a cost of some 5170 000. The building. supported fully by the community and the school hoards over the years, servedits pupils well.. Walton PS opened in• 1962 as a Grades 1-8 school. one of the growing number of consolidated central schools which were replacing the older one room schools across Huron County and rural Ontario at this time. It remained to serve the full elementary grade range until 197.1 when a decision was made to transport Grades 4-8 to.the newly renovated and expanded Seaforih Public School (SPS). This action was one of the early consolidation measures undertaken - by the newly created county board of education. Kindergarten was added at this time. 'and the school became the only primary school in the jurisdiction of the fledgling Huron County board. Ten years later, in 1981, the school was 'twinned' with Seaforth Puhlic School. The principal. and teaching staff for. French. music. library and• special education, were shared between the two schools. Inthe mid-1990s. with the .advent of school 'councils and a desire for closer connections with the community the school was de -twinned. once again -being assigned its own. principal. In the meantime. to,fi11 up space as the result of -declining, enrolment. steps were undertaken to add .Grade four to the sl-hool's population. if the wistful dream of overcrowding had become a reality at SPS. Grade five would also have been added. _- . With changes in school board structure yet again - the amalgamation of Huron.and Perth into the new Avon Making happiness on a sad day... Stud¢nis $ Vk on Public School took port in fun activities Sunday. afternoon before evening dos/A t ceremonies. for the school 1i4tech.pe►monently shuts its doors at the end of the weft berth Hu, on Citizen photo Maitland"District School Board - with changes in government funding for education. and with further decline in the rural population. steps were taken to close Walton Puhlic School and relocate the pupils to Seafonh Public: The proposed new location. along-with.pupils moved from the Seaforth.Puhlic ' School, would he the planned-to-hc-former Seaforth District High School (SDHS). also slated for closure by the new Board. At this time. with the closure of SDHS stalled by a court order. the children will move to SPS in its current site. The new school -will be 'full' once again - to a level even higher than its heyday population of morethan four hundred in the early 1970s. (The student population from Egmondville - presently attending Huron Centennial - will also be added to. the rolls.) The first principal at Walton Public School was Marie Toll. !t was truly 'her school. She established the culture, the community connections and the special place that -Walton has always been for its children. Following a failed initiative to close the school in 1979; and in response to a decision to leave the school open. the principal assigned was Paul Carroll who shared.the administrative responsibility for this building along with SPS. The justification for leaving the school open withonly a small enrolment was the -cost saving said to be achievedby sharing a principal and certain staff with another school: Principals Gary Jewitt and Don Tremeer continued the twinning arrangement until_ the new director. Paul Carroll determined that Helen Crocker be assigned the full principal role. in about 1996. She was followed by Maggie Crane and the current principal. Alice McDowell. When Walton PS -is officially closed at the end of June 2000, it will mark the demise of the only specialized primary elementary school in the Avon Maitland board. The building. will be one more tombstone in the graveyard of small community schoots. Carroll reflects back By Paul Carroll I went back to Visit Walton PS last month. It was a trip that brought back many memories: I. remembered my first 'official' 'Visit to the school in 1981, when then - Director John Cochrane appointed me as the principal .of the newly -twinned Seaforth and Walton Public Schools. At the time I was proud to be 'on the road' -travelling' between the schools.- but I never did regret my,own decision to 'de -twin' the schools and return a .full time principal to . Walton PS in the middle 1990s, whenI got to ,sit in the director's chair as the final role in • my own career. • Walton was just too important to share a senior administrator with another school It knew how" to stand alone. It did so for 20 years before it was twinned. And it is certainly. standing tall.- on its own - as its final weeks of operation are upon us.. • • When I first worked at-Seaforth Public, I learned that Walton PS was a proud entity. It took care of its kindergarten to Grade 3 population quite properly. The principal.. Marie:Tall, called the shots,•but she called them extremely well. The curriculum was delivered efficiently and according to the Ministry expectations of the day; the pedagogy was a reflection 'of'the parental • values in the school arca. And the 'school knew .how 'to participate with the larger community. With a population drawn from three different townships; it was necessary for Marie and her staff to head in • different directions to ensure that the school `gave support to each separate community with equity and with equivalent enthusiasm. Such was the challenge of alternating on a . biennial basis to participate in the Brussels and Seaforth .Fall Fairs. One of the biggest mistakes 1 ever made while I was administering the school was to think that life •would be simpler for me and the staff if we focussed' our efforts in only the Seaforth 'direction. It took only one year 10remember that our school community had more than one component: ' _• 1 soon learned to pay heed to the whole community! And •quite frankly, there seems to be a little bit of that cross -community vision to, be sorted out at this time, as the Walton PS doors are closed and the kids head off to their new home at Seaforth Public. It is clear to me that Walton PS has 'class.' Reading the history of the school told mehat the element of 'class' was present that 'first Dccemher, in late 1962, when Wilfred Shortreed, board chair and Jim Kinkhead, School Inspector, led the student parade that short distance from one of the former schools. still standing across the road at McGavin's, tothe spanking new building which now forms the core of the current facility.' No doubt that 'class' continued as the bubbling and excited. kids cut the ribbon at the fresh and shiny doorway. and as 'LP'. Larry Plumsteel, a "former principal from Seaforth DHS delivered the celebratory remarks at the official opening ceremonies a . few days later. Throughout. the` years, the 'class' continued. You could always see•it in the twinkle of Marie Toll's eyes as she spoke proudly about. her school and.thechildren when. the new crop of grade three, graduates made its annual trek to SPS for orientation in preparation for grade four. - The 'class' was there in the commitment of the school's first reassigned, principal. -Helen- Crocker, as she attempted to ensure a balance between the academic and hands. on components for.learning. You can hear it today in the comments of Alice. McDowell. current principal, as she relates detailed plans ' for the several special events planned to celebrate the life and times of Walton PS. as the school and the community move forward to the last school day. 'During my recent visit to the school. heads were held high. li was a sad time. But -if this was to be the reality then. "we'll do it with style" seemed to be the ,modus operandi for sea'ff, for the parents. the 'kids and the cotnmunity. There is no point (and the staff and parents seeni,to recognize it) in looking back. pointing. fingers.' or lamenting "If only we had done this or that.'' The doors for Walton PS will close at the, end of June in the year 2000. The event will also close an era wheresmall schools thrived in small and close knit•communities-and where family connections were uppermost as'the school struggled to fulfill its educational and social roles. Waltoncan turn the key proudly. The school board can lock the door. but it will only • create a storehouse of fond memories, and a treasure chest of sound traditions: The community members can use these tiophies' as the springboard for moving forward, to continue the convention of strong support for the children and young •people from McKillop, Morris and Grey. and` for upholding all of those things that have been important for the proper education of these children. Travel forward to nurture them- and continue to do it with 'class'! Walton School was a `brave new world' for many 13)•Priokipal Atis . '.1, U iwcll ffrnin r u,reat Hull,, Publi. 51 liw.1 .Fruuipul AIu-r. McUuwrli ,ii jl►r-ud,lrr»rd aradeni. poi; and 'present al Ile l,niil j/ e rurmoiie♦ Julie 25 2000. kcmcinber the first ume.)ou heard the words. "Weloi►me to Walton'''` 1 -in most of you. it *At. `a brase. new world" in which the security of your home had vanished. For the lirat• time, you were in. the starting lineup of y -et another. new venture; •lioweser. yrxi .sours realized that you were nOt slime following your survival of the first day, you soon came: to recogniie the other students and staff as your friends. These people wanted your first days of school to he as cucitrng and memwabk as possible. Before long, you Wo began to participate from the other side in this long standing, annual tradition. Your involvement on the first day of sdwool always served to uphold and strengthen the fair, generous and loving 1 sport til Walton The true school spire of Walton attains a .particular "high every year, during• the month of December .11 is during this most Reuse. and husy miinth that the•Walton School community Chrisimat, Dinner and •Concert are held. Walton has distinguished itself admirably lhruughoui our district and evenlu such as these attest to our magnificent and unflagging school spirit. The pioneering spirit of Walton flickered into life' in the winter of 1962 when a brand-new school welcomed its first students: The flame never faltered but continued to glow, ever more brightly, as Walton Public Schwxll gradually established its own identity, including respectable recognition in academic, athletic, and community involvement. Thirty-eight years have elapsed and our school confidently prepares for closure. We continue our positive strides in a spirit of optimism as we move forward net the road which Iles ahead: As we blossom and grow, we remember from whence we came. Walton considers itself fortunate to have had the quality staff and students over these years. Collectively these people have been The. Duracell Copper. Top batteries - the Energizer Bunnies who have kept the spirit .of our school alive and healthy: • We been a banner year What do you get when you combine 79 .students, five teachers, one -secretary, one resource educational. assistant, one principal, one custodian and 40 plus volunteers — an incredible school. Walton Puhlic School truly is the small school with a big heart and throughout the 1999-2000 school year has continued to provide an excellent primary education in the face of adversity and controversy surrounding the issue of school closure. Indeed our students' best interests have always and continue to be our first priority. Unique to Walton has been the .community suppi,rt for all we do We ..111 McGavins, the church or ►Pur. Volunteer. whenever we need something. SAC is extraordinary. They chi it alt: The social events of the school calendar have served•to bring "students, staff and families together in an atmosphere of tun and creativity. If laughter and enjoyment. 'build school spirit, the Walton community is to he commended for its respect, dedication and commitment to the staff and students in their school. . The highlights of these special school events certainly attesi to the' unmistakable caliber of the staff and students at Walton who work together with our parents and community to keep our proud spirit front and center. In doing so, these people enure that our flame of spirit has become a torch to be carried forth to grow and develop as have the individuals who began their cducalion within our walls.