Trustees Select Names for New Schools on Collegiate Ave and Glen Sites
Hamilton, Ontario – Tuesday, April 27: Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Trustees approved names for two new elementary schools from the April 19, 2021 Standing Committee meeting. The selected names are for schools on the Collegiate Ave and Glen sites that are scheduled to open in September 2021.
HWDSB solicited suggestions for names of the new elementary schools from stakeholder groups through the completion of an online survey, and/or by mailing or emailing written correspondence. In total, over 80 names were pitched for the new schools. The suggestions were then narrowed down by each site’s School Naming Advisory Committee before being submitted to Trustees.
Trustees approved the following names for the new schools:
- Collegiate Elementary School on the Collegiate Ave site
- Viola Desmond Elementary School on the Glen site
“Our community members and School Naming Advisory Committees presented Trustees with a wonderful selection of names that reflect HWDSB’s vision, mission, and commitments,” said Dawn Danko, Chair of the Board. “School renewal and revitalization is an exciting process for students, staff, and families and Trustees cannot wait for them to enjoy their new facilities in September.”
Collegiate Elementary School
About the name:
The original Collegiate Avenue school is located in lower Stoney Creek on Collegiate Avenue situated 6A-2 between Queenston Road and King Street. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005. The new school community will be located on the original Collegiate Avenue school site and although newly updated, retains some of the original building.
About the school:
As part of the Lower Stoney Creek Accommodation Review, the Board of Trustees approved the closure of Collegiate Avenue, Eastdale, Green Acres, Memorial (SC), Mountain View and R. L. Hyslop, pending Ministry of Education funding for three new schools on the Collegiate, Eastdale, and Memorial (SC) sites.
On June 19, 2017, the Ministry of Education announced funding in the amount of $6 million to support the revitalization of the school at the Collegiate Ave site. The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board approved an additional $4.3 million in funding to support the project, to create a 213 pupil place, K-8 elementary school at the Collegiate Ave site. The new school is scheduled to open September 2021.
Viola Desmond Elementary School
About the name:
Viola Desmond, (1914-1965), was an African Canadian civil rights activist and successful businesswoman from Nova Scotia. In 1946, she challenged racial segregation at a movie theatre by sitting in a whites-only seating area and refusing to leave. The case went to court and Viola was convicted of a minor tax violation for the difference between the seat she paid for and the one she occupied, even though she had offered to pay for the full price of the ticket. Her case was one of the most highly publicized cases of racial discrimination in Canada and helped start the modern civil rights movement in Canada. Viola was pardoned posthumously in 2010. Since then, Canada Post has issued a commemorative stamp in her honour, she became the first Canadian woman to be featured alone on a Canadian bank note, has been named a National Historic Person, and became the first woman of colour to be featured in a Heritage Minute.
About the school:
As part of the East Hamilton City Accommodation Review, the Board of Trustees approved the closure of Glen Echo, Glen Brae, Sir Isaac Brock, and Elizabeth Bagshaw, pending Ministry of Education funding for a new school on the Glen site. The new school will accommodate students from Glen Echo, Glen Brae, Sir Isaac Brock, Elizabeth Bagshaw, and Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
On June 19, 2017, the Ministry of Education announced funding for a new $15.5 million, 682 pupil place, K-8 elementary school beside the current Glen Brae school. The new school is scheduled to open September 2021.
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Media Contact:
Shawn McKillop, APR
Manager, Communications and Community Engagement
905.515.6227 | [email protected]
Updated on Friday, September 24, 2021.