I saw the OSCVI musical Loserville tonight. It was fantastic to see all that skill, talent and energy of the students bursting from the stage. It was also heart breaking that it might be the last of hundreds of OSCVI productions from the past great legacy of theatre at the school.
As a Visual Art teacher at OSCVI for 25 years, I, along with my students painted 25 sets for those yearly productions. What a fantastic experience for all involved. There is nothing more memorable for the high school experience. As far as I know no trustees or Bluewater administration showed up for opening night. I wonder why?
It's been well documented that music, drama, visual arts and dance greatly enhance a student's learning,life, academics and job prospects. So the play made me think, "Why is the director of education, Steve Blake and the superintendent of secondary schools closing a school the excels at the things that make kids excel?
All these kids will lose this heritage of excellence, their school pride, their sense of who they are. High school is a very important time in a young person's life. It shapes all of their futures. If OSCVI students are crammed into portables at West Hill the process is an insult to those kids and parents. The director, superintendents, trustees don't seem to care about our kids?
Will all those students have a better chance to make the cut for the play or the team? No. And bigger schools are documented to have more violence, drug abuse, mental health issues and less choice in programming. So culture and heritage matter big time, for our kids and community, but not with the Bluewater board.
While I am incredulous that the Bluewater board has sprung the closing of OSCVI outside of the Ontario Ministry of Education policy, what hurts the most is that the director Steve Blake and the superintendent of secondary schools have ignored the public outcry to the closure of this great historic school, because of a budget issue. Weak management. Shame.
The OSCVI musical Loserville takes place in a high school setting, at a high school that is supposed to close. Which seems very ironic. And very wrong. Again I can only assume that the administration at the Bluewater board of education do not care about our kids. They have not responded to the public outcry. Why?
Steve Blake, Bluewater administration and the trustees have the power to be the heroes here. All they have to do is say we heard the overwhelming community voice in opposition of closing OSCVI and reverse this decision. The whole community will be happy. It's not hard. Make it right.
James Sebesta
