Schools fight for survival

The Beacon Hill-East Ottawa Secondary Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) – tasked with recommending whether Rideau, Gloucester or Colonel By high schools should close – held a public meeting at Rideau High School Tuesday, April 21.

Hundreds gathered at the school; however, supporters of Colonel By Secondary School dominated the meeting, filling the auditorium with yellow placards carrying the slogan “Don’t mess with success.” Representatives from both Colonel By and Rideau could be heard chanting the name of their respective school before ARC presented their five recommendations.

The first option presented, which calls for no school closure, was the only to receive a tentative round of applause from the audience. Option B and C suggest closing Rideau, Option D recommends closing Gloucester High School, while Option E proposes merging Colonel By and Gloucester in the Gloucester building.

A loud cheer of support rose from those in the auditorium when Beacon Hill North Community Association president Tim Tierney indicated it’s unfortunate three schools have been pitted against one another, arguing all the schools seem good with the exception of enrolment issues at Gloucester and Rideau.

In a later interview, he indicated there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding the options, like the risk of de-certification if the International Baccalaureate program at Colonel By were to move.

Meanwhile, Dan Burke made an impassioned plea on behalf of Colonel By. “You cannot kill off a world-class high school,” he told ARC members. “Destroying world-class Colonel By is utterly irresponsible.”

Burke indicated he favours Option A, which would see all schools remain open, a comment that saw some of his further remarks drowned out by cheers and applause. He explained staff members, such as principals, need to be given more time to come up with a plan to improve enrolment at their respective schools.

Students and a few parents from Rideau as well as a handful of parents from Gloucester also expressed support for their schools.

A woman who identified herself as Elizabeth Slump said closing Gloucester would be a “terrific loss to the community,” adding she could support any option that would allow Gloucester to remain open.

A group of students donning Rideau T-shirts, meanwhile, stood outside the school following the meeting grumbling that being a high academic achiever doesn’t necessarily make Colonel By a better school.

The overall theme of the evening, however, was a call for ARC to recommend no closure.

The accommodation review was sparked by low enrolment. Rideau is expected to be at 46.9 per cent capacity in 2010 while Gloucester is projected to be at 45.4 per cent capacity. Colonel By is anticipated to remain above capacity at 121.1 per cent, requiring five portables.

The committee will hear delegations at Gloucester High School on Tuesday, April 28. They are expected to make a recommendation to trustees in mid-June who, in turn, are scheduled to make a final decision in December.