It certainly didn’t have the impact of other school closure announcements that have dominated headlines in Osoyoos for the past six months, but last week’s announcement that Good Shepherd Christian School (GSCS) in Osoyoos would be closing its doors is still very sad news.
For the past 25 years since opening its door in Osoyoos, GSCS has been providing quality Christian-based education to hundreds of students in this community.
Founded by the parishioners at Grace Lutheran Church in Osoyoos, GSCS has been forced to close its doors after an education fund that was used to pay for schools owned and operated by the Grace Lutheran Church of Canada in Alberta and B.C. recently went into receivership.
Ted Cronmiller, a former Town of Osoyoos councillor and longtime member of Grace Lutheran Church who acted as spokesperson for the church parish, said it was a very difficult decision to close the school, but there was very little choice without access to that education fund.
There were just over one dozen students enrolled at the school during the school year that just wrapped up three weeks ago.
With this limited number of students enrolled, the amount of funding the school received from the Ministry of Education in Victoria was miniscule. Without access to the church education fund, there were no more options and the difficult decision to close the school has been made.
The residents of Osoyoos will never forget that it was the leaders with GSCS who stepped forward when it looked like an independent school was the only option when it appeared all but certain Osoyoos Secondary School (OSS) was going to close.
Thankfully, the provincial government came up with $500,000 at the last minute to keep OSS open.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any similar financial saviour to keep GSCS open.
Everyone involved with the school over the past 25 years should never forget that this school provided a viable alternative to parents who wanted their children raised with a faith-based curriculum.
Hundreds graduated over the past 25 years and went on to enjoy great success at the post-secondary level and in life.
Everyone who ever worked at, supported or sent a child to this school should be very proud of the positive impact this school had on this community. The legacy left by GSCS won’t soon be forgotten.
