Minister of Education Peter Fassbender will officially open Oliver’s new high school on Feburary 6.
Superintendent of Schools Bev Young said the official ceremony will be approximately one hour, starting at 1:30 pm.
Students will sing “O Canada” and the traditional aboriginal song. There will also be Indo-Canadian dancing and drumming.
The minister will tour the school, and Link Crew students will lead tours for the public until 7 pm.
Young said the library will be set up with memorabilia and old yearbooks for people to enjoy. For former graduates, it will be a trip down memory lane.
Retired SOSS teacher Russell Work will present a video that will capsulate the true spirit of the school.
At 3 pm, drama teacher Alison Podmorow will guide her senior acting class in “little vignettes” and voice monologues in the new Frank Venables Theatre. They were originally going to do an excerpt from their production “The Wizard of Oz,” but that plan has changed.
Podmorow said they aren’t prepared to show something that isn’t ready to be fantastic.
Young said the school is trying to line up a basketball game at 5 pm, possibly between staff and students.
“Staff will get killed, and I’m the smallest one,” she joked.
Jack Bennest from Oliver Daily News questioned school trustees about the inferior sound system in the gymnasium (where the ceremony will be held).
Young said they will check the sound quality and determine if they have to rent a better system.
“We want it (the ceremony) to be a polished event.”
