The Scoop with Coop

The education of the youth of the area has to be of the utmost importance to everyone because as we all know they are the future.

One of the keys to a good education is a healthy adequate facility to house the students.

Almost three years ago it was announced that two of Lewisporte's schools -Lewisporte Academy and Lewisporte Middle School - would be amalgamating into one K-9 system. That September the ball starting rolling with the amalgamation of budgets, administration (principal and vice-principal) and school council. That same year it was decided to keep the Grade 5 students at Lewisporte Academy while the rest of the restructuring process played out.

But unfortunately we are still waiting for that to happen.

I was glad last week to learn that the school council are now lobbying to get the issues resolved and get the restructuring moving forward again. Obviously the issue of the gymnasium will have to be resolved because at the end of the day there are a lot of other school improvements hinging on this redevelopment.

Hopefully the new regulations with respect to school gymnasium sizes will mean that the current gym at Lewisporte Academy no longer meets the regulations for the school curriculum that will result in a new gym having to be built or the existing gym renovated. If not there will have to be some decisions made as to how to proceed.

Having programs like industrial arts and home economics introduced into the curriculum would be definite assets to students as many trade skills are in demand in this province. Space to accommodate these types of courses is proposed as part of the expansion to Lewisporte Academy.

On the other side of the coin, having one principal and vice-principal for two buildings has to bring with it a lot of additional challenges for the people holding these positions, not to mention having a school with only a principal or vice-principal on hand most of the time.

Hopefully the school council can get a favourable reply from the Feb. 19 meeting of the Nova Central School Board meeting and the restructuring can get back on track.