Reconsider closure of Mill Bay nature school
I’m writing this letter to protest the closure of the nature program at Mill Bay School.
After attending a meeting Thursday night where two representatives from the board did a great job empathizing with very distraught families, I feel I need to add my support to these families. Full disclosure, I have a very precious grandson flourishing at the nature school.
My first moment of shock was the way the families were informed, no notice, no inclusion, no opinions required, I found that very disrespectful. I know that legally there were no requirements to include the families in this decision but morally they should have had the opportunity to brainstorm alternate ideas. Very poorly done in my opinion.
During the April 11 meeting, families spoke from the heart how this arbitrary decision was affecting them. People spoke so eloquently about their reasons for choosing an alternate school. Families spoke with passion, drive and solidarity. The school community is dedicated, involved and invested. Many had negative experiences in traditional school or have children who had negative experiences. As you may know, I’ve personally worked in pretty much every school in the district, including all the alternative programs, as a student support worker. These alternate schools were properly funded and gave families an option when “regular” schools weren’t working for their children. I believe that the large majority of educators in the district are caring, professional teachers but sometimes these pairings with certain students just don’t fit. And this nature school is a safe haven for those that don’t fit into regular schools. The nature school is giving learners successes instead of negative experiences. Let’s not let these students fall through the cracks.
What I’ve seen throughout the years when visiting my grandson is parents who gave their all to make this program wonderful and successful for their children. I’ve seen the teachers give their all to a program they believe in. The garden was the most amazing paradise. I so enjoy watching the children eat carrots out of ground with dirt wiped off on their pants, no washing required. Shelling peas, harvesting veggies, searching for frogs and strawberries. These magic moments were the results of the incredible hard work done by the Mill Bay families, raising funds, hours and hours of hard outdoor work. The families have been so passionate about these and many more wonderful learning opportunities.
Many parents have communicated the benefits of the program at Mill Bay. What I would like to do is invite the trustees to visit, to spend time, to absorb the atmosphere before trashing the program. I mean sit down and absorb the fantastic “owlry” where so many opportunities for learning were created with a huge amount of time, commitment, thought and knowledge. Watch the children learn. Talk to some of the learners — they would be proud to give you a tour of their school, their community; it’s their family. Two young learners had the confidence to speak at this meeting to a room full of adults to plead for the saving of their school. That takes a lot of courage and articulation skills, facilitated I believe by this unique learning environment. I wish you could see the successes this program creates before you make the final decision to trash this success story.
I have watched for years the budget process at board meetings. I have seen trustees with tears in their eyes at having to choose what programs to eliminate to balance the budget. It’s a thankless job and I appreciate that. But I’m begging you to see what you’re destroying. People’s lives, their passions, their families — yes this school community is a family. A family that is in fear of being separated and scattered. I ask that you rethink the decision to shut down the program. The community would be thankful to be able to consult with the decision makers to try to find a better solution to budget and space issues. Please give them a try. Will they be planning a funeral for their program, a celebration for saving it or something in between? The ball is in your court. Please consult! Please reconsider!
Thank you for your consideration,
Helen Turnquist
Retired school board education assistant, student support worker