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Good memories of Souris

My Nikkel's worth

A difficult decision was made by the Southeast Cornerstone School Division on Thursday, where the board of trustees voted to close Souris School once the new elementary school is built and ready to open a few years from now.
The school has a special place in our family’s heart because all four of our kids attended there from kindergarten to Grade 6.
The one difference was our oldest, Elizabeth, actually attended kindergarten at Elgin School for the last year they were open, and once that school closed we were then part of the area that was sent to Souris.
All of the kids had a good education there, and mostly have good memories from the school, but I think what’s most important is not so much the building, but the people — the staff, the other families — and this is what made Souris the good school it was for our children.
Each school year for each of the kids had their particular moments, like the music concerts, the accelerated reading program, the year-end barbecue for the families, and as each one went through Grade 6, the year-end celebration for the class.
The concerts always crammed the gymnasium to capacity, and we had to learn to be there in good time to get a seat. Sometimes as a photographer, it was a challenge because when there is hardly any room for the families, it’s hard to get into a good location to be able to get the photos I needed for the Review.
For the reading program, my daughter Deborah was the voracious reader who was reading above her grade level, and reading nearly everything in the school library. There were days we had comments from staff that at times like recess she’d be on the steps reading while everyone else was out on the playground playing.
She and James also played on the school’s soccer team, and there were lots of after-school games I was able to watch with them playing, and the end-of-year barbecue was usually a fun time for the family. They don’t seem to do this at the school any more, but I enjoyed those barbecues when we had them.
There are some good programs in place now, however, that with a new larger school might end up being lost, such as the nutrition program they have in place for the students. When you’re mixing three schools worth of students, including a large number of rural kids that are bused in from around the area, would such a program even be feasible?
I suppose there are many unanswered questions about what features will be part of this new school, and the school will be some three or four (or five) years down the road before it will open. Time will tell, but I’m sure there will be new memories made once that school opens.