Final public plea to save east side school plea, east, Final, side, public

tiffiant

Final public plea to save east side school
Calls to turn Queen Alexandra into fine arts school
Lara Fominoff Nov 09, 2010 22:52:42 PM
Be the first to Comment  0 Recommendation(s) They came by the dozens with their strollers, their translators and their extended families.
About 200 people poured into an auditorium at Vancouver Technical Secondary School on a rainy night to try and convince the Vancouver School Board for the very last time to keep Queen Alexandra elementary school open.

They want to turn it into a fine arts school. But parent Denise says there's much more to it than that.
"They (Queen Alexandra) were one of the first places to welcome us with open arms when we moved to the city, and we really needed that at the time. We were going through a lot of hardship, me as a full-time student and single mother."   

Many parents say it's the only place their kids have access to teachers who understand special needs students and new immigrants.
Lang says she's also hoping the VSB keeps Queen Alexandra open for her son, who is special needs and requires a lot of programs which are helping him.
"My child has problem with the language and so cannot learn so quickly as the other kids."

NDP MLA Jenny Kwan says the call to turn Queen Alexandra into a Fine Arts school is an excellent idea. "I think we can provide excellent learning opportunities for students, but at the same time provide opportunities to increase and enhance enrollment numbers"

Kwan, who represents Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, says Nootka is the only other fine arts elementary school in Vancouver and there's a long waiting list they're hoping to tap.

The VSB will make its final decision on school closures in mid-December.  


Around 200 people attend public meeting on possible Queen Alexandra school closure