My Nikkel’s worth

I had mixed feelings as I attended the morning and afternoon portions of the farewell ceremonies for the Weyburn Junior High, and listened to the comments by the visiting dignitaries, former and current staff and current students.
As Mayor Debra Button said, it was a “bittersweet” day, as one could hardly term the closing of a school as a “celebration”, as the middle-years school that has educated our youth since 1966 will close its doors forever by the end of June, after which the Grades 7-9 classes will now be attending the Weyburn Comprehensive School starting in September.
I’m sure that new memories and friendships will be made, and many experiences will be had there, both good and bad — but the atmosphere and character of the Weyburn Junior High will be lost forever once the school is closed and at some future point is demolished.
All four of my children attended there, and of their experiences, daughters Deborah and Johanna both blossomed as artists there under the tutelage of art teacher Tammie Ashton-Morrison.
Deborah, who today (June 1st) is convocating from the University of Regina with her five-year education degree, also excelled in other areas such as language arts and social studies.
Both have ceiling tiles with their distinctive art styles, plus Jo had a hand in one of the murals, in particular the art immediately to the left of the door to the art room. That mural, along with all the other amazing pieces of art painted onto the walls of the junior high, will be lost forever when the walls come down.
But the ceiling tiles are a different matter, as they’re removable.
In talking with principal Ryan Fowler about the possible availability of getting those ceiling tiles, he said he’s had many inquiries about them, but until word comes of when the school building will be demolished, they can’t be removed. The funding for demolition is not expected to be in the budget that is being released by the provincial government today in the Legislature, so it’s not known when exactly those funds will be forthcoming.
As the building will be sitting vacant and unused in the meantime, the ceiling tiles have to remain until the time when they are able to take it down to make room for building a new elementary school at that location.
What has impressed me in covering innumerable activities and sports at the school, or going there as a parent, is the energy and creativity, which was noted by Fowler in his speech, and also how academic excellence had always been celebrated there until they did away with the awards.
It is indeed a “bittersweet” feeling knowing that the school will soon be gone.