Beaver River chosen as the name for the new Beaverton public school

DAN CEARNS, The Standard

BROCK: The Durham District School Board (DDSB) has come up with a name for the new school which will combine Beaverton Public School and Thorah Central Public School.

At a board meeting, on Monday, June 19th, trustees voted to name the school which will be located at 270 King Street, in Beaverton, Beaver River Public School.

According to a report, from Erin Elmhurst, the board’s Superintendent of Education, after a process which saw the community submit possible names for the school, the list was whittled down, by the school naming committee, to four finalist names. These were Beaver River Public School, Waasaagamaa Public School, Beaverton Central Public School and Beaverton Thorah Public School. Committee members later recommended Beaver River as the preferred choice.

“I was honoured to work alongside the naming committee, as they carefully considered the naming policy guidelines, community voice, student voice and the vision for the school community, in determining a recommended name,” Superintendent Elmhurst said.

Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge Trustee Carolyn Morton praised First Nations trustee Jill Thompson for her involvement in the naming committee.

“Your contributions definitely served everyone extremely well,” she stated.

In the rationale section of the report, it notes the committee felt “this is a new name [which] staff, students, families, and community members could see themselves reflected within as a new school community is built.” The report also states, this name could provide “opportunities for ongoing learning around land, water, and environmental stewardship.”

The DDSB received approval from the Ministry of Education, in February of 2018, to build this new school. Completion of construction is expected in September of 2024.