Brock Middle School (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

SD73 CATCHMENT CHANGES

Consultation ongoing for North Shore and Brocklehurst catchment changes

May 9, 2023 | 4:35 PM

KAMLOOPS — Consultation is ongoing for families with students currently enrolled in schools across the North Shore and Brocklehurst. The changes are due to over crowding at Brock Middle School which is currently the ninth-largest middle school in the province.

The big change coming to North Shore families, will the removal of Brock as a middle school and moving to a K-to-7 elementary, and 8-to-12 high school model.

“If we are going to reconfigure it, what makes sense is to be consistent with the rest of our jurisdiction,” said SD73 Superintendent Rhonda Nixon. “So, 8-to-12 is of course a configuration that is exists in our jurisdiction, so if we go 8-to-12 in Brocklehurst Middle School and it becomes a secondary school and then Norkam 8-to-12 as well, now we parallel the North and South Shore and we balance the enrollment between those two schools.”

Turning Brock Middle into Brock High will also help relieve some of the pressure on Norkam Secondary by dividing the North Shore into two secondary school catchment areas.

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Superintendent Nixon was pleased that, through foresight of the problem, the board has had the time for proper consultation.

“We need to get people ready for the change and I find that usually we don’t have this ability to have time. But, we really looked ahead and thought what we need to do for the next few years. This is going to be giving us the time we need to work with students, their parents and staff and really make the reconfiguration and catchment changes well thought out,” said Nixon.

The proposed changes, if approved, will come into effect in the fall of 2024, in line with the opening of the new Parkcrest Elementary School.

The district is also considering keeping George Hillard Elementary open to help with influx of elementary-aged students — or have the Twin Rivers Education Centre (TREC) programs return to the school.

“If we reopen it as a K-to-7 school, it really balances out enrollment nicely, leaves space in our schools to grow, leaves options for the future so that we are not going to be in this situation for a long, long time if we continue to grow at this pace. That is one option,” said Nixon.

Catchment changes with George Hillard being K-7 (image credit – SD73)

The decision on George Hillard will affect the catchment areas of the other elementary schools.

Catchment changes with George Hillard running TREC programs (image credit – SD73)

Public consultation sessions are ongoing through the month of May. A board report will be presented to the trustees on June 19, making recommendations on the catchment changes for 2024.