For over one hundred years our school has been named after a man who ran concentration camps. He also burned down farms and forcefully occupied the land of indigenous populations, and so was a hero of the British Empire.
With that in mind, at the end of last school year, the PAC formally requested that the Vancouver School Board (VSB) begin the process of engagement to re-name our school. Because we have been thinking about this for a long time, the PAC Exec has a name recommendation; however, to be done properly, re-naming requires broad community engagement. The PAC, teachers, school admin, students, CUPE, and community members will all be active participants in the conversation.
To meet VSB’s policy, a new name should be place-based and not be named after a person. Indigenous Educators should also be engaged – at our school, this is Chad, and he is awesome. Where there is a strong desire for an Indigenous name, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) can be asked for help; however, asking for a new name is a big request that moves the work off of our community and onto theirs. Gifting a place name is a beautiful and significant honour that requires large amounts of time, research, and people engagement from the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm.
So far, families have shared similar desires. We have been told that people want a name that reflects the community. A name that makes it easy to place (or even just find) our school when talking with friends, family, sports teams and the like. After years of learning, debate, parent surveys, and conversations with students, teachers, and admin, the PAC Exec thinks that this simple, place-based, name meets the majority of the community’s expectations: West End Elementary (and West End Elementary Annex).
Of course, this is the school system, so a new name is still going to take a long time. The process has started and there will be a lot of meetings and sharing of information. There will be surveys and probably votes and more.
There will be a lot of conversations, which is good, and slow.
For me, it boils down to this: Once you know your school is named after a guy who ran concentration camps, it’s hard to un-know. The school community has been ready for a new name for a long time, one that is place-based and reflects our community. After thinking and talking about it for a long time, I hope it will be West End Elementary.
- Ian Rowe
With that in mind, at the end of last school year, the PAC formally requested that the Vancouver School Board (VSB) begin the process of engagement to re-name our school. Because we have been thinking about this for a long time, the PAC Exec has a name recommendation; however, to be done properly, re-naming requires broad community engagement. The PAC, teachers, school admin, students, CUPE, and community members will all be active participants in the conversation.
To meet VSB’s policy, a new name should be place-based and not be named after a person. Indigenous Educators should also be engaged – at our school, this is Chad, and he is awesome. Where there is a strong desire for an Indigenous name, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) can be asked for help; however, asking for a new name is a big request that moves the work off of our community and onto theirs. Gifting a place name is a beautiful and significant honour that requires large amounts of time, research, and people engagement from the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm.
So far, families have shared similar desires. We have been told that people want a name that reflects the community. A name that makes it easy to place (or even just find) our school when talking with friends, family, sports teams and the like. After years of learning, debate, parent surveys, and conversations with students, teachers, and admin, the PAC Exec thinks that this simple, place-based, name meets the majority of the community’s expectations: West End Elementary (and West End Elementary Annex).
Of course, this is the school system, so a new name is still going to take a long time. The process has started and there will be a lot of meetings and sharing of information. There will be surveys and probably votes and more.
There will be a lot of conversations, which is good, and slow.
For me, it boils down to this: Once you know your school is named after a guy who ran concentration camps, it’s hard to un-know. The school community has been ready for a new name for a long time, one that is place-based and reflects our community. After thinking and talking about it for a long time, I hope it will be West End Elementary.
- Ian Rowe
We gratefully live, work and play on the unceded and traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples – sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) nations.