By Pepper Parr
November 21st, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
The request was to be expected.
The Halton District School Board does make a point of holding an event to celebrate the history and the story of a school when it is to be formally closed.
The parents and students did everything they could – they had a convincing argument but they were up against an iconic high school a couple of km away.
For the people in the community and the parents who fought to hard to keep the school open – it will not be a joyous event. They fought then and think now that the closing of the school was a mistake.
They were right then and they are right now.
But – time moves on.
The Robert Bateman High School’s Integration Committee is seeking subcommittee members and volunteers to form two subcommittees to help commemorate the school, in preparation for the school’s closing in June 2020.
Interested students, staff, parents/guardians, alumni and community members are invited to complete an Expression of Interest Form by Friday, Dec. 6, 2019.
The subcommittees will be formed prior to the first meeting on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020 at 7 p.m. at Robert Bateman High School.
The Artifacts and Memorabilia Subcommittee is being created to assist in the identification, gathering and cataloguing of the school’s artifacts and the development of a plan to honour and display memorabilia. Members of the Closing Celebrations and Activities Subcommittee will assist in the planning of closing celebrations and activities.
The Boards data told the tale.
Hopefully one of the banners that was used during the many demonstrations will be included.
“The Integration Committee looks forward to working with members of the Robert Bateman community to celebrate and honour the history of this school,” says Robert Eatough, Superintendent of Education for the Halton District School Board.
Ward school board trustee Amy Collard, livid at the time over the decision the Board was getting ready to make on the closing of Robert Bateman High school stares down the Director of Education.
There is no decision yet as to what will happen to the school. The ward trustee, Amy Collard has some ideas; she can be very persuasive and the Mayor of Burlington appears to be prepared to do everything she can to keep the property available for use by the community.
The fear that the site will be converted into land for a condo development is not on the table now and never will be.
