Editor:
Good Shepherd Christian School in Osoyoos was criticized by a few neighbours at last week’s Town of Osoyoos Council Meeting.
GSCS is owned and operated by Grace Lutheran Church of Osoyoos and licensed by the Independent Schools Branch of the B.C. Ministry of Education.
It has been in operation for almost 20 years, and is part of the long standing tradition of Lutherans since the 16th century to offer Christian Education for children and youth.
Other Lutheran Schools in the Southern Okanagan include Little Lambs Christian PreSchool in Oliver, Concordia Lutheran School in Penticton and First Lutheran School in Kelowna.
Lutheran Schools teach Christian Values, and offer a provincially certified academic curriculum. Moreover, Lutheran Schools are good for the community.
Lutheran Schools offer parents a choice of education for their children that is consistent with their faith values while remaining in the community.
Students who have attended GSCS over the years have come from the Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Pentecostal, United, and Sikh faith groups; also students with no church affiliation.
Our professionally certified teachers are from several Christian denominations.
Our students have participated in community activities including Terry Fox Run, Penticton Children’s Fair, Kiwanis Terrific Kids, Mind Grind, and Royal Canadian Legion Remembrance Day activities.
Most significantly, they have learned about giving of themselves to the community by offering concerts at Country Squire Retirement Village, Mariposa Retirement Centre, Sunny Bank Centre, and McKinney Place Extended Care.
While there may be incidents from time to time that involve an errant child, it is always our goal to help children, parents and community to understand that we have been created to live together in community.
A community needs seniors that offer wisdom from the past to guide us in the future.
It needs working families that contribute to the vitality of the local economy.
And it needs energetic, exuberant, and enthusiastic children.
With love, patience, and forbearance they will become the future.
Above all communities need a heart that embraces the message of Christ: “You Are Not Perfect, But You Are Forgiven!”
Good Shepherd Christian School is for the good of the community and will continue to work with the children, families and leadership of the Town of Osoyoos.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
In the name of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.
Pastor Chuck Cooley,
Grace Lutheran Church of Osoyoos

OSOYOOS TIMES-July 15, 2009

NEIGHBOUR WEIGHS IN ON SCHOOL FEUD

Editor:
This letter is in response to comments made in your paper July 8, 2009.
Good Shepherd Christian School, re: Article, “Conflict between school and its neighbours brought before council.”
Please view CHBC Television News website, titled, “Neighbourhood dispute decidedly unchristian like behaviour from a South Okanagan church school.”
In the article, Mel Kilback (Head of the Parish school board) states, “one of the students did throw a rock toward the home and it landed on the driveway.”
Not true.
Mel Kilback knows there were around a dozen rocks thrown at our home.
There was over $1,000 damage.
The surveillance video of a student from the Good Shepherd Christian School throwing rocks was shown on CHBC news, July 10.
The same day the rocks were thrown, while he was at the school, I attempted to draw Mel Kilback’s attention to the rocks on my driveway and the damage done.
His response: First he denied it.
Then he asked if I had proof.
When I said I did, he was angry and abusive and said we were “totally whacked out.”
He dismissed the whole incident.
In the article, Mel Kilback also says, “at no time did the school videotape the Laybourne’s house.”
Not true.
CHBC Kelowna news clearly shows a person involved with the school videotaping our home, aiming the camera up at our bedroom windows, with teachers, supervisors, parents and students present.
As head of the GSCS school board, Mr. Kilback bears the responsibility of public trust.
Integrity and telling the truth are expected when making public statements or at any other time, for that matter.
In light of the CHBC television news article on July 10, and all evidence to the contrary, I am hopeful that Mel Kilback plans to make a complete public retraction of his comments.
To date, the school principal, Angela Wescott, teacher Brenda Ens, supervisors and other school officials have never apologized or acknowledged the incidents and bullying that has happened.
Their response to these incidents has been denial, followed by lies, followed by harassment.
Harassment and bullying has included a religious slur.
Students have shouted, F-you, F-off and B—- to my wife.
The television article can be viewed at the CHBC Television News website, titled, “Neighbourhood dispute decidedly unchristian like behaviour from a South Okanagan church school.”
It can also be viewed at YouTube, “CHBC Good Shepherd Christian School, Unchristian like behaviour.”
Roy Laybourne,
Osoyoos

OSOYOOS TIMES-July 15, 2009