Families state case for new high school in northeast

November 2, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

It has been over 40 years since a new public high school was built in Aurora and, in that time, the Town has grown rapidly and now is the time to rectify a growing problem.
This was the word delivered by parents to Councillors – and Aurora and King’s York Region District School Board trustee – last week as over 200 residents filled Council chambers to make the case for a new public high school in northeast Aurora just north of Bayview and Wellington.
Responding to a notice of motion from Councillor John Abel calling on Council to help spur discussions between the residents and the York Region District School Board, area parents wasted no time unpacking their business case for local lawmakers.
Citing Aurora’s recent ranking in 19th place in MoneySense Magazine’s annual survey of best places to live in Canada, Lia Zaharopoulos told Council she and her family “already knew” Aurora’s virtues before moving here from Scarborough 14 years ago.
Among the deciding factors in moving to northeast Aurora when the area was just being developed was its proximity to proposed elementary and secondary schools.
“I am asking you to assist us to convey the need for a new high school to the Board as was originally planned in this community,” she said referencing a significant chunk of land already secured by the Board in that area and earmarked for that purpose. “There is a growing necessity with each new family that moves here, a growing necessity which also stems from the growing Provincial growth plan that has encouraged redevelopment and intensification within our community.”
Residents’ tax dollars already paid for the land, she contended, and now it is time to put the plan into action. Making the case, she said students in Aurora’s northeast currently make up 60 per cent of the student body at their designated high school, Dr. G.W. Williams Secondary School on Dunning Avenue at Yonge Street, which was completed nearly 65 years ago and was considered for closure less than 10 years ago in favour of a new school on the northeast site.
With their school so far out of the way, it will take northeast kids over an hour to walk to school each way down the congested Wellington Street corridor and through the busy GO Station area, resulting in 200 – 400 hours of commuting over the course of the school year, which could be better spent on extra curriculars.
A new high school would also be a boon to local business, she added, as just about everything a student could possibly need would be within walking distance.
“I am a proud graduate of Dr. G.W. Williams Secondary School and I have fond memories of the school from its extracurricular activities to the teachers that pushed me to graduate,” said Kelly Steedman, who returned to Aurora as an adult to raise her children. “I remember the first day walking through the doors at Williams and it was like walking onto the set of The Breakfast Club. Without a doubt, you can feel the history when you walk through the doors of the school and I am sure many more memories have been created since that time.
“We’re not advocating for the closure of Dr. G.W. Williams. It is a wonderful school that serves the south Aurora residents very well. I stand before Council to ask for their support for a secondary school at the Bayview Northeast side as per the original School Board plan.”
Highlighting concerns with her kids walking to and from school, she said they would have to leave before sunrise each morning to contend with morning commuters before first period. While York Region Transit does offer a bus with a trip in the morning and the afternoon, it leaves as soon as school is finished, getting in the way of extra curriculars and, compounding the problem, costs a family $1,050 each year for each student.
“For a family of mine of three children, we’re looking at a cost of $12,600 (over 12 years) to bus my children to school,” she said. “A secondary school in northeast Aurora would allow our children to receive their secondary school education without the intense demands of a long commute. This would allow our students to participate in more extracurricular activities, open more time for community service, and our children have more time to participate in the community rather than commute through the community. They will become more engaged and help build a stronger community which benefits all of us.”
As a physiotherapist, Sandra Manherz told Council she has seen a decline in the health of youth firsthand. Fostering a culture where students can freely walk to school would help buck the trend.
“Metrolinx released a report in the spring that cited nearly 31 per cent of children were being driven to school, up from 12 per cent in 1986 compared to the 60 per cent of Aurora High School students that will have to be driven if no high school is constructed between Bayview and Conover,” she said. “And we’re supposed to be Canada’s most active community?
“There are copious amounts of literature that support the notion that children who walk to school are more active overall in life, that children walking to school improves academic performance by increased attention, alertness, reasoning ability and reduces stress. It increases creativity, it improves metabolism, reduces weight and also improves cardiovascular fitness. Walking to school builds social skills along the route, that they become street smart, gain self-confidence and a sense of responsibility and become more independent.
“We want to be Canada’s most active community. Help us do that. Help us get a high school on Bayview. We have elected you to be our voice.”