Dear Editor:
On Friday night I attended the NWSS homecoming football game, which was an incredible affair, with the stands and running oval packed, skydivers, music, balloons, fireworks, food and, most importantly, people from the community.
There were young and old: students, parents, volunteers, teachers, city councillors, all paying recognition to and enjoying the highly successful Hyack football program of some 50 years, albeit interrupted from time to time.
The head coach of the Hyacks had to schedule a vacation day so as not to conflict with his regular TSN job covering the B.C. Lions home game versus Toronto. Peter Battiston and Lorne Bohn, fresh from strike duty, along with countless volunteers, including Mary Lalji, spent from early afternoon until after midnight, setting up, announcing and breaking down the event.
I was sitting on a folding chair on the skateboard end of the playing field taking in the festivities when a man asked me where I got my chair, which I had commandeered from the alumni reception tent. He also remarked, "This is amazing, where do you see anything like this going on nowadays?" He said he grew up in Windsor, Ontario, and remembered high school events similar to this one.
It was great to see the mayor of New Westminster out to the game, and we had a brief, friendly, non-partisan chat. However, I forgot to mention to him that although Mercer Stadium and the surrounding fields are wonderfully well maintained, it is a shame that the tired old public high school, slated for replacement over 12 years ago, appears to have fallen through the cracks.
It does seem unfortunate that a facility that houses and educates thousands of city youths and adults every year appears to have dropped so far down the priority list. Since 2002, two or three Burnaby secondary schools and two New Westminster schools have been built or are under construction, but this, I suppose, is not really the mayor's bailiwick.
Nevertheless, as a welcoming entrance along Canada Way, the public high school is an eyesore - an extremely unattractive introduction to the city of New Westminster.
In my opinion, the sooner we tear down and rebuild this outdated and embarrassing structure, the better.
Bryan A. Ansley, by email
