View source for School District 53 Okanagan Similkameen

{{Short description|School district in Canada}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox school district
| name           = School District 53 Okanagan Similkameen
| region         = [[Cawston, British Columbia|Cawston]]<br />[[Hedley, British Columbia|Hedley]]<br />[[Keremeos]]<br />[[Okanagan Falls]]<br />Oliver<br />[[Osoyoos]] in [[Okanagan]]<br />[[Similkameen Country|Similkameen]]
| country        = Canada
| coordinates    = 
| location       = [[Oliver, British Columbia|Oliver]]
| superintendent = Marcus Toneatto
| accreditations = 
| schools        = 10
| budget         = CA$22.3 million
| students       = 2,665
| faculty        = 
| teachers       = 
| staff          = 
| ratio          = 
| website        = {{URL|http://www.sd53.bc.ca}}
}}
'''School District 53 Okanagan Similkameen''' is a [[school district]] that serves fragments of the southern [[Okanagan]] and lower [[Similkameen Country|Similkameen]] regions, which include [[Cawston, British Columbia|Cawston]], [[Hedley, British Columbia|Hedley]], [[Keremeos]], [[Okanagan Falls]], [[Oliver, British Columbia|Oliver]], and [[Osoyoos]], totaling to six communities in the district, all of which are in [[British Columbia]], Canada. Its main "maintenance department" office is held in Oliver, consisting of ten schools, five of which are elementary, three are high or secondary schools, while two are alternative schools. This district's superintendent is Marcus Toneatto, while 2,665 students attend schools in it; there are 480 employees for the Okanagan Simlkammen school district. Their motto is "Learning Today for Living Tomorrow", and all places within the district are towns or villages.

In addition to the conventional school programs, School District 53 offers three adult learning outlets, an outreach school, three early learning centres, as well as one elementary hockey academy; the district supports [[Indigenous peoples|Aboriginal]] people. It provides a school bus transportation service, in order for children to get to their school and home, being responsible to the Director of Facilities. This bus service has been considered for expansion. School District 53 maintains a policy on emergency, which was amended on April 30, 2008. There is also a "smoke-free" policy that was amended on September 26, 2007.

== Facilities ==
School District 53 Okanagan Similkameen consists of ten schools, five of which are elementary, three are high or secondary schools, while two are alternative schools,<ref name=bc>{{cite web |url=http://www.makeafuture.ca/bc-school-districts/regions/okanagan/53-okanagan-similkameen |title=BC School District 53: Okanagan–Simlkammen |publisher=[[Education in Canada|British Columbia Education]] |access-date=November 2, 2012}}</ref> within a total of six communities in [[British Columbia]], Canada, in fragments of the southern [[Okanagan]] and lower [[Similkameen Country|Similkameen]] regions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sd53.bc.ca/ |title=SD53 Home |publisher=School District 53 Okanagan Simlkammen |access-date=November 2, 2012}}</ref> The schools of the latter region include Cawston Primary School—held in the town of [[Cawston, British Columbia|Cawston]]—whose principal is Shannon Miller. Cawston School is a Kindergarten to Grade 4 school that is well known for its Weekend Western Day Assembly, held on Victoria Day Weekend and featuring hobby horse barrel racing.<ref name="cawston">{{cite web|url=http://www.cps.sd53.bc.ca/|title=Cawson Primary School|publisher=Cawston Primary School|access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref> The village of [[Keremeos]] is home to [[Similkameen Elementary Secondary School]] (S.E.S.S.), which holds students from Grades 5 to 12, with the principal being Naren Searcy.<ref name="ss">{{cite web |url=http://www.sd53.bc.ca/schools |title=Schools |publisher=School District 53 Okanagan Simlkammen |access-date=November 2, 2012}}</ref><ref name="keremeos">{{cite web |url=http://www.sd53.bc.ca/sess/ |title=Similkameen Elementary Secondary School |publisher=Similkameen Elementary Secondary School |access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref> [[Hedley, British Columbia|Hedley]] did have a Kindergarten to Grade 4 school of its own until January 2008, when the Okanagan Similkameen district voted four to two to close the school.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bctf.ca/publications/NewsmagArticle.aspx?id=15178|title=Heart of the community, Hedley Elementary School to close|last=Kendrick|first=Ritchie|date=March 2008|publisher=[[British Columbia Teachers' Federation]]|access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref><ref name="moee" /> Linda Thiel was the last principal of Hedley Elementary School and oversaw its closure.<ref name="hedley">{{cite web|url=http://www.sd53.bc.ca/HedleyElem/|title=Welcome to Hedley Elementary School|publisher=Hedley Elementary School|access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref>

In addition to the schools of the lower Similkameen, the southern Okanagan holds seven of the ten schools part of the district,<ref name="ss" /> as well as its main "maintenance department" office, which is held in the town of [[Oliver, British Columbia|Oliver]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowpages.ca/bus/British-Columbia/Oliver/School-District-No-53-Okanagan-Similkameen/6872054.html?what=School%20District%20No%2053%20%28Okanagan%20Similkameen%29&where=Canada&cli=1,6&le=1532f |title=School District No 53 (Okanagan Similkameen) – 6057 Spartan St, Oliver, BC |publisher=[[Yellow Pages]] |access-date=November 2, 2012}}</ref>
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:S Okanagan Secondary Schl.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The [[Southern Okanagan Secondary School]] was burnt during a fire in September 2011, its rebuilding began in spring 2012, being slated for completion in 2013.]] -->
All schools in the district which are part of the Okanagan region maintain the same format: elementary schools have children from Kindergarten to Grade 8, while secondary schools consist of pupils from Grade 8 to 12. This includes Okanagan Falls Elementary School, which is held in the [[Okanagan Falls]] town, with Lisa McCall serving as the school's principal.<ref name="ok">{{cite web |url=http://www.sd53.bc.ca/OkanaganFallsElem/ |title=Okanagan Falls Elementary School |publisher=Okanagan Falls Elementary School |access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref>

The [[Osoyoos]] town is home to Osoyoos Elementary School—whose principal is Dave Foster<ref name="osoyoos">{{cite web |url=http://www.sd53.bc.ca/OSE/ |title=Welcome to the Osoyoos Elementary School Web Site |publisher=Osoyoos Elementary School |access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref> —and [[Osoyoos Secondary School]], which is principled by Glen Heinrichs.<ref name="osoyoos2">{{cite web |url=http://www.sd53.bc.ca/oss/ |title=Osoyoos Secondary School |publisher=[[Osoyoos Secondary School]] |date=November 3, 2012 |access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref> Since 2001, British Columbia has invested over 4.8 Canadian million dollars on replacing Osoyoos Elementary School, as well as Okanagan Falls Elementary School.<ref name="moee" /> It offers the Okanagan Similkameen Learning Centre, which consists of students from Grades 8 to 12; the principal of the learning centre is B. Hansen.<ref name="ss" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.youlearn.ca/moodle/ |title=Okanagan Similkameen Learning Centre |publisher=Okanagan Similkameen Learning Centre |access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref> Its neighboring town, Oliver, is home to, as of September 2011, Oliver Elementary School and Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary School—the former's principal is Mike Safek, while the latter's is Dave Foster.<ref name="oliver">{{cite web |url=http://www.sd53.bc.ca/oes/ |title=Welcome to Oliver Elementary School |publisher=Oliver Elementary School |access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref><ref name="oliver2">{{cite web |url=http://www.sd53.bc.ca/ten/ |title=Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary School |publisher=Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary School |access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref>

The community also had a secondary school, named [[Southern Okanagan Secondary School]],<ref name=ss/> until it was burnt by a fire in September 2011, during the school's multimillion-dollar renovation project.<ref name=gam>{{cite news |first=Sunny |last=Dhillon |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/fire-causes-major-damage-to-oliver-bc-high-school/article594046/ |title=Fire causes major damage to Oliver, British Columbia |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=September 12, 2011 |access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref> The [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]]'s (RCMP) investigation found no conclusion.<ref name=gam/> The Government of British Columbia are contributing to the school's rebuilding;<ref name=gam/> its construction began in spring 2012, being slated for completion in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |first=Wayne |last=Moore |url=http://www.castanet.net/news/South-Okanagan/74152/19-5M-to-rebuild-burned-out-school |title=$19.5M to rebuild burned out school |publisher=Castanet |date=April 20, 2012 |access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref>

In addition to the conventional school programs, School District 53 offers three adult learning outlets, an outreach school, three early learning centres, as well as one elementary hockey academy.<ref name=bc/> It also works with a number of [[Indigenous peoples|Aboriginal]] people, having signed an enhancement agreement to improve academic achievement of them.<ref name=bc/> 2,665 students attend schools in this district,<ref name=bc/> whose superintendent is Beverley Young.<ref name=moee/>

== Demographics ==

1,303 of those 2,665 students within the district attend elementary schools, while 1,202 attend secondary schools; 102 are adult education students.<ref name=moee>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/factsheets/downloads/53%20-%20Okanagan-Similkameen.pdf |title=Okanagan Similkameen |publisher=[[Education in Canada|Ministry of Education]] |access-date=November 4, 2012 }}</ref> School District 53 contains 480 employees, and its motto is "Learning Today for Living Tomorrow".<ref name=bc/> While its board chair is Marieze Tarr, its secretary treasurer is Lynda Minnabarriet and its MLA is John Slater.<ref name=moee/> The district has five trustees.<ref name=moee/> It provides a school bus transportation service, in order to get children to their school and home, being responsible to the Director of Facilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sd53.bc.ca/employ/pdfs/327%20Bus%20Driver.pdf |title=School District No. 53 (Okanagan Similkameen) Job Description |publisher=School District 53 Okanagan Simlkammen |access-date=November 2, 2012 }}</ref> The bus service has been considered for expansion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bctransit.com/regions/sum/news/bpl/pdf/sum-bpl944.pdf |title=Regional District of Okanagan–Similkameen Transit System Study |publisher=[[BC Transit]] |access-date=November 2, 2012 }}</ref>

The British Columbia province gives funds to the school district, so that it can maintain their schools correctly.<ref name=moee/> The amount given is based on the number of kids that are enrolled for the year.<ref name=moee/> Further money is often left over by the end of the year.<ref name=moee/> StrongStart BC, an "early learning initiatives" program, operates at three schools within the district, Okanagan Falls Elementary School, Oliver Elementary School, Cawston Primary School, and Osoyoos Elementary School.<ref name=moee/> The district's boundaries include three [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] Bands: the [[Osoyoos Indian Band]] and the upper and lower Similkameen Bands, all of which are Indian governments.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/schools/sdinfo/acc_contracts/2013/53.pdf |title=School District No. 53 District Achievement Plan 2012/2013 |publisher=[[Education in Canada|British Columbia Education]] |access-date=November 4, 2012}}</ref>
 
An emergency—a "sudden", "unexpected" occurrence that requires action for a situation—at schools within the district 53 scope can result in school or bus transportation facilities.<ref name=e>{{cite web |url=http://www.bcsta.org:8080/docushare/dsweb/Get/Version-54229/B%20-%20EMERGENCY%20PREPAREDNESS.pdf |title=Emergency Preparedness |publisher=School District 53 Okanagan Similkameen |access-date=November 2, 2012 }}</ref> This district's policy on emergency was amended on April 30, 2008, which includes fire, threats or facilities, violence, school bus accident, serve weather, earthquake, hazardous spills, accidents, explosions, or floods.<ref name=e/> The policy was amended because the district recognizes the importance of emergencies, specifically during school's session, that could be both natural and human, hence why it necessitates to develop plans for emergencies.<ref name=e/> It also maintains a "smoke-free" policy, meaning that it is prohibited to smoke in a district 53 area.<ref name=sep2007>{{cite web |url=http://dsweb.bcsta.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-51644/D%20-%20SMOKE%20FREE%20SCHOOL%20DISTRICT.pdf |title=Smoke Free School District |publisher=School District 53 Okanagan Similkameen |access-date=November 4, 2012}}</ref> This rule was amended on September 26, 2007.<ref name=sep2007/>

== See also ==
* [[List of school districts in British Columbia]]
{{Portal bar|Canada|Education|Schools}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.sd53.bc.ca}}

{{Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen|state=expanded}}
{{School districts in British Columbia}}

[[Category:School districts in the Okanagan]]
[[Category:Similkameen Country]]
[[Category:Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen]]
[[Category:School districts in British Columbia|53]]