New Westminster Secondary School’s music auxiliary is urging parents to speak up to make sure the new high school has improved amenities for the music department.
The music auxiliary is a parent-led group that supports the school’s music department through promotions and fundraisers for the approximately 300 students involved in choirs and bands at the school. The group is concerned that if parents don’t take part in the discussion about the NWSS replacement project, the needs of staff and students in the music department will be overlooked.
“I don’t think they’ll forget about music, but we do fly under the radar,” said Cheryl Greenhalgh, chair of the music auxiliary. “I feel like we need to just advocate and remind everybody involved that that program is a really, really vibrant part of this school.”
Greenhalgh’s oldest graduated from NWSS last June, while her second child, currently in Grade 10, is part of two choirs and one concert band. The department itself is home to a total of seven choirs, four jazz bands, four concert bands, an orchestral strings program, a guitar program and a music composition and technology program.
“I can’t say enough about that program and what I see happening there for the kids, so I want to make sure the specific needs of the program continue on,” she said.
Greenhalgh would like to see three dedicated music teaching spaces at the school, a dedicated computer lab, access to a 600-seat performance venue, storage for a music library, school instruments, students’ instruments and other band equipment, an office with space for four teachers, and practice rooms for students.
Currently, the high school has one band room and two choir rooms, so when there are several bands rehearsing at once, the smaller bands have to relocate to classrooms in other parts of the school. Because of limited practice space, it’s not uncommon to find students practising outside or in the hallways, Greenhalgh said.
“It’s just not very conducive to musicality,” she added.
With the first deadline looming to comment on the high school replacement project, Greenhalgh is encouraging parents familiar with the music department to take part. She herself participated in one of the small group meetings organized by the district last month and plans to submit feedback along with other parents from the music auxiliary.
“I want the people who are going to be making the decisions – the trustees, the superintendent – to understand how important the program is to the parents and the students,” she said.
The New Westminster school district, meanwhile, was pleased to hear parents were getting involved in the feedback process.
“That’s what the consultation process is all about,” district superintendent Pat Duncan told the Record. “We’re very, very happy to hear from all groups. Obviously, we have restrictions on amount of dollars that are available from the Ministry of Education, but if we don’t hear from our community, then we’re not going to be building the kind of school that our community is hoping to have.”
While it’s too early to say what kind music facilities will be included in the new school, Duncan said there are provincial standards the district must abide by when it comes to the size of facilities, including the size of band rooms.
As for when folks will start to see a design for the new high school, that is still a ways away, according to Duncan. When designs are revealed there will be time for residents to provide further feedback, he added.
Folks have until Monday, Dec. 5 to provide feedback during the first round of consultations on the high school replacement project.
Comments and concerns can be emailed to newnwss@sd40.bc.ca.
