September 7, 2011
To view pictures set to music of JWB's first day of school year, click here
By Jason Misner
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, HDSB STAFF
The bell doesn’t ring until 9:15 a.m. to officially start the day but the Carson family was too excited to wait. It’s the first day of the 2011-12 school year and they’re attending the newly-built John William Boich Public School in Burlington, so they arrived more than an hour early to take in their new surroundings.
And they love it.
“It’s wonderful,” says William Carson, who has three kids attending. “It’s set up well. I think it’s a welcome addition to the area. My kids got up nice and early this morning.”
He hopes students learn about community and to accept everybody for who they are.
Scores of students made their way to the southwest side of the 2474 Sutton Drive building around 15 minutes before the start of the day to line up with their class. Teachers brought cards with their names written on them and held them high in the air for all to see. The school will accommodate 677 JK-Grade 7 students; it will begin welcoming Grade 8 students next year.
More than 39,000 elementary and 17,700 secondary students returned to school throughout the Halton District School Board yesterday.
The sense of community the Carsons talked about was a common theme among staff at John William Boich Public School. Teachers and senior staff are keen to create a sense of community to help students feel as comfortable as possible in their new school, with the goal to help them learn as effectively as possible.
“I’m really hoping to form a good sense of community with my students because everyone is coming from different schools,” says Grade 5 teacher Lyndsey Mifsud.
Grade 6 student Theo is excited about his new school.
“It’s good because I can see my friends,” he says.
The roof of John William Boich Public School is made entirely of solar panels, a first for a Halton District School Board school. The goal of this environmentally-proactive system, which has the potential to produce enough electricity equivalent to power approximately 50 homes, is to provide as much of the Burlington school’s hydro needs as possible.
An important focus of the school will be the environment and technology, and the solar panel installation, for example, fits the bill perfectly, says Principal Peter Milovanovic. He says in the coming days the school will hopefully be installing monitors to show how much power the panels are creating. It’s all part of the educational process, he says.
“It’s a beautiful school but without the kids, it’s just another empty building,” he says as more and more students assemble to go inside the school at the sound of the bell. “We’re going to be striving for the highest level possible for eco-certification. Technology will be a very active part of it.”
The school is named after John William Boich, a dedicated Burlington community supporter and Halton District School Board superintendent (1972-79). Arlene Boich, widow of John Boich, on hand to see the first day of school, said her late husband would be very proud.
“This is just the kind of school John would love,” she says, tears welling in her eyes.