INGLESIDE, Ontario – Residents mourned the loss of their beloved high school after hearing the UCDSB decision to close Rothwell-Osnabruck.
With the community still reeling from the decision, R-O Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) member, Jennifer MacIsaac says that right now, what the community needs most is some time to help students absorb the difficult news.
“We are dealing with our children; our children who are in shock, frustrated, angry, sad, feel sick and filled with anxiety because their school board has failed them,” said MacIsaac in a letter addressed to UCDSB Trustees.
Following the decision, many parents expressed the difficulty of telling their child that they will be uprooted in the fall due to conditions beyond their control. MacIsaac says that many are collectively frustrated, sad and angry about this decision, which will impact their children’s lives in the months to come.
“They are trying to imagine what next year is going to look like and they don’t even know where they will be next year,” said MacIsaac.
While Ingleside is the fastest growing municipality with the most children in the counties, they are now the only one left in SD&G without a high school. While JK-12 schools are privy to additional grants and funding, the estimated cost of closing R-O is $400,000. MacIsaac says that the UCDSB has failed R-O.
Trustee David McDonald voted in favour of the closure, and has received some backlash following the decision.
“We are saddened that Trustee McDonald worked so vigilantly to sway Trustees to vote down the motion to keep R-O open and give us a chance to thrive like we know we can once on an even playing field in regards to French language programming,” said MacIsaac. “Losing by one vote was devastating for our children, families and community.”
While tensions were high following the vote, some recounted fond memories from their school, admiring the community’s innate ability to band together when the going gets tough.
“Words cannot explain how much R-O means to me. It is a place that still feels like home, years after graduation,” said R-O alumni, Shayla Kroeze. “Our community put up a strong fight and I am very proud of the place that I come from.”
MacIsaac says that there’s something special about the JK-12 structure that makes for stronger communal ties. “It is often referred to as a family; a community school where students attend for their entire educational career is quite unique,” said MacIsaac. “The benefits that I myself, my husband and my children have received at R-O will never be replicated elsewhere.”
