Live: KPR Meeting Deciding Fate Of Peterborough High School
Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 5:31PM UPDATE, 1:50 a.m: Trustees have voted 7-4 to close PCVS.
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Some tweets we wrote after the vote last night:
"The final vote has been reached: PCVS to be closed."
"PCVS students hugging, crying. Lots of yelling from parents, swearing."
"PCVS parents & students screaming with fury at board members: 'Thank you for ruining our school.'"
"Security has now entered the building. Emotions running high."
"Board members still sitting, in shock. Crowd leaving, in shock. Everyone in shock. Lots of tears, crying, dismay."
"PCVS students screaming, chanting in hallway."
"The students are coming back in the boardroom, chanting to board members, most of whom remain seated."
"Hey board, so you know, we won't let our high school go!" -- PCVS students chanting over and over.
"Shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame" PCVS students chanting in hallway."
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The meeting has just begun live at KPR board office... It is packed... There are two overflow rooms... Watch for updates...
Live inside the KPR board office...
PCVS graduate Bill Lockington is the first speaker
TAS student council president Victoria Salem, who is for the merger of PCVS and TAS.
Christina Adams & Victoria Pyle who read statements from fellow students about influence of their school
TAS student Tyler Rawson demonstrating robotics created at school
The live video feeds
PCVS students applauding Dr. Charlie Menendez
Estimated busing costs by Dr. Charlie Menendez
Betsy McGregor speaking in support of PCVS
Support from the hallway
Dean Pappas speaking in support of PCVS
The emotions after KPR made recommendation PCVS close
Standing ovation in response to trustee Roy Wilfong saying PCVS should not close
Going around the boardroom table, each trustee was allowed to ask questions, followed up with their own personal summary
Diane Lloyd, chairperson summing up the evening while being filmed by CHEX
1:38 a.m. The final vote is 7 to 4 in favour of closing PCVS.
PCVS students chanting and consoling each other in hallway after vote announced
[Photos by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]
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Reader Comments (3)
Its sad that a school has to close, but really there is a bigger problem here. A school can't save our downtown. Why wasn't a fuss made when the fed's decided to move 200+ jobs out of downtown?
I get that people are upset, but the numbers just aren't there. The school board made the tough call and people need to accept it. If the city made this much of a big deal about the crime rate, the drug problem, the decline in jobs maybe ptbo wouldnt be in the position where it needs to close a school...
My family moved to Peterborough 5 years ago because of PCVS. We located within walking distance of the school. Peterborough is an awesome city because of its downtown core. Take PCVS out of the equation, and just as the Trent college was removed from downtown area, you have a formula for the demise of this core. The decision by the trustees violates the Places to Grow Act of Ontario, and is solid grounds for an appeal. Peterborough needs PCVS!
Folks need to set their emotional attachments to pcvs aside. The school is inaccessible. It has poor facilities. The building would function better for another purpose. The arts program isn't being destroyed, it's just being moved. The numbers aren't there to support the student body. As a pcvs alumni, I find those walking numbers very, very suspect. I recall many students being bused in from the west suburbs - not to mention the arts kids, who came from all over town. Ideally, no school would close. But the board has made up their mind about this, apparently.
I would like to see this kind of outrage for the racial discrimination that happens in this town on a daily basis. For the high unemployment numbers and class hierarchies that go unnoticed. Not for some privileged white kids who are losing their status of attending the "prestige" peterborough school. At the end of the day it's not the huge issue it's made out to be. I think these alumni and students feel threatened by change, especially change that affects their status in a negative way. Let's face it, if this was Kenner, there wouldn't be the same outrage. The students don't have the same voice. They don't have Bill Lockington or Dean Pappas to fight for them. But Kenner is just as important a school. So is TASS, Adam Scott, and Crestwood. Every school is important to the community it serves. PCVS isn't special. It doesn't deserve special treatment because it's alumni are vocal and powerful.