What are people saying about the high school announcement?
Jonina Campbell, chair, New Westminster school board:
“The replacement of New Westminster Secondary School is the final major piece in the current capital plan projected for the New Westminster school district. This wonderful and long-awaited announcement will mean that our children will be able to look forward to attending a state of the art school that will assist all students in pursuing their passions in a modern learning environment.”
Kelly Slade-Kerr, vice chair, New Westminster school board:
“The students of New Westminster deserve this new secondary school in order to thrive and engage in deep and purposeful learning. The school will not only be a great place to learn for our students but also a wonderful asset for the entire community of New Westminster.”
New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote:
“This is really great news for the City of New Westminster and something that’s been a longtime coming. It’s long overdue, the replacement of the New Westminster Secondary School, and it’s a big relief to finally get the funding announcement in place from the provincial government. …There’s young families all across New Westminster who’ve been really nervous about the high school and whether it was going to happen in time, and I think this was a huge step forward for us here. … There’s going to be a lot of work over the next year, before construction starts. I know the City of New Westminster is going to be actively looking at taking on the Massey Theatre and contributing to the restoration of that project, as part of the high school project. So now that we’ve got that we’ve got the announcement, we feel we’ve got the green light to go ahead and start that process. I think that’ll be another exciting thing, and the beauty of this project is, not only are we getting a brand new high school, but we have an opportunity to refurbish the existing Massey Theatre and really deliver a community project for the entire city.”
Judy Darcy, MLA for New Westminster:
“This has been the No. 1 priority for our community for years now, for the school district, the city, for parents, for students, and for me, as MLA, and for previous MLAs. … So this is a dream come true, finally. … The school district has done a remarkable job with a detailed and comprehensive plan that has answered all of the concerns that the ministry had raised in the past, and it’s a detailed plan that also means that the remains that are there, under the ground – from the Chinese community, from the Aboriginal peoples – the building plan takes all of that into account, but also, very importantly, they will be memorialized.”
Stephanie Zhao, Grade 10 NWSS student:
“It is such a great plan for the school district, the school programs, and most of all, the future generation after we graduate. I have a younger brother of my own, who I know will be experiencing this new facility in the coming years. I believe much of the student body agrees with me, when I say that as much as we are envious of the next generation for having this new upgrade that we don’t have, it’s such an eye-opener for us to see something those in the future may enjoy so much more, whether it being our siblings or maybe even our own children.”
What do the two school trustee candidates have to say about Tuesday’s high school announcement?
Dee Beattie:
“I’m excited that (the high school) announcement happened. I think the board has done a great job, and I am looking forward to being elected and working with them.”
Mary Lalji:
“I think it’s long overdue. We had a sense this announcement was coming in the last month, and I’m really happy for the students in New West and the upcoming students; my kids as well will be in that school, and also our community. … We’re really lucky to have Jonina Campbell, because it’s her connection that she built with our ministry of education that really helped push this school (to) this announcement and getting built, and I believe in building exactly what she’s done, where you have to build relationships with people.”
