WEST-KELOWNA – As people around the globe celebrate the Year of the Goat, a West Kelowna school opened its doors to the community for a ceremonial grand opening. Students have been attending the school since September, but Mar Jok Elementary picked today to hold its festivities as a tribute to the man it is named after.
“Our namesake is of Chinese decent so we’re celebrating Chinese New Year and the grand opening at the same time, so it is an auspicious day for us,” says Alida Privett, the school’s principal.
Chinese Pioneer Mar Jok arrived in B.C. in the early 1900’s. He is remembered as being a benevolent, compassionate individual who ran a soup kitchen from his restaurant during the Great Depression.
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Long-time friend Ben Lee says if Mar was alive today, he would overwhelmed by today’s festivities.
“He’s kind of a shy person and he’d say ‘Why do all of this for me?’”
Mar Jok Elementary is the only school in the Central Okanagan district to be named after a Chinese Canadian.
The Superintendent of Schools, Hugh Gloster, says this speaks to the community’s diversity.
Mar’s family members have traveled from the United States and Mexico for this special occasion.
Three of his grandchildren cut the ribbon in front of the big crowd.
One of the grandsons says his grandfather strongly believed in the power of knowledge.
“He reminded us that learning does not stop after school, it will continue daily for the rest of our lives. So it is fitting that Jok’s name appears at an elementary school: the first step to life-long learning,” says David Jones.
It is fitting the school is celebrating both a new year and the legacy of an Okanagan pioneer.
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