Bowmanville Senior Public School to close - Thread

I'll be attending the closing "open house" and snapping some pics as well...

Bowmanville Senior Public School closing
Closing ceremony to be held June 16

May 28, 2007
By Jennifer Stone

BOWMANVILLE -- A piece of Bowmanville's history will close its doors at the end of the school year.

Bowmanville Senior Public School, which originally opened as Bowmanville's high school in 1929, is closing.

The school, which has housed Grade 7 and 8 students for the last three-plus decades, holds a great deal of history, say longtime staffers.

"You can't help but walk down the hall and feel like you're a part of a long tradition," said Bill Thompson, who has taught there for two decades. "We sort of see past the fact that it needs some new paint."

But the days of senior public schools are dwindling. In the 1990s and early part of this decade, communities started demanding schools house children from junior kindergarten through Grade 8 and that spelled the end of BSPS.

In spite of its age, the building is an excellent venue for education, said Mr. Thompson.

"It's a better building in a lot of respects than the new schools," he said, pointing out the large classrooms, enormous library, double gym, lockers and science labs.

The school has spawned a lot of very successful people, said Hugh Walters, who has taught there for 13 years.

"The number of young people who have come out of here and been successful ...great athletes, great artists, people intrigued to do science," he said. "The walls talk of history."

Closing ceremonies are set for Saturday, June 16, from 1 to 4 p.m. The school is seeking former students and staff and memorabilia to help make the day more memorable. Anyone with information or wishing to volunteer can call 905-623-3323, and use voicemail box 4, or e-mail: [email protected]

The school will be missed, said Mr. Thompson.

"It's going to be a sad day when there's a condo sign on the building," he said.