A new school being built in the Amber Trails neighbourhood won’t be getting a new name, after delegates asked the Seven Oaks School Division to consider a change.
Templeton School’s name comes from Templeton Avenue, where it is located.
Last week, the division’s board of trustees heard a delegation from staff, community members, and students – some of which made a video asking the board to think about changing the name to represent indigenous culture.
“The board has followed a habit of neutral school names, naming them more for their geography than an individual or anything else. They’ve decided to stand pat and do that,” says superintendent Brian O’Leary.
Delegates last week saw the school’s opening as an opportunity for the division to showcase its commitment to reconciliation, but O’Leary says they will continue to do that in other ways.
“Cultural programming, language programming, staffing and all kinds of things – hopefully the community sees that continuing.”
O’Leary also didn’t rule out moving away from the geography-based naming system in the future, but says the fact the school was under construction did play a part in the decision.
The 55,300-square-foot school will provide French Immersion education for students from kindergarten through Grade 5, as well as offering a daycare with 20 infant and 54 preschool child care spaces.
It’s expected to open in September, and was created to reduce crowding at nearby Amber Trails, A.E. Wright, James Nisbet and Constable Edward Finney community schools.
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