Future of London Ont., Unknown Vocational School – London | Globalnews.ca

Concerns about the future of the London vocational school are growing as enrollment at Davison Secondary has stalled for the past two years.

a facebook group and the online petition to save the school says the Thames Valley District School Board is planning to close the school because there are no students in grades 9 and 10.

“For the past two years, TVDSB has actively failed Davison by not allowing educators to promote the programming the school has to offer, by refusing to allow parents to register their children, and by closing programs at the school,” group organizers. to save the school said in a statement.

“When parents called to enroll their students, they reported being told that there was a ‘lack of interest’ and that ‘programming at Davison would not be offered’ for those who entered ninth grade in the last two years.”

The petition created by the organizers has collected more than 470 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.

B. Davison Secondary School at 785 Trafalgar Street was formed in 2014 after the merger of the former Sir George Ross and Thames Secondary Schools.

One of the only vocational schools in the area, it offers students programs and supports to enter the workplace directly after graduation. The school focuses on trades, offering courses in hospitality, welding, construction, auto mechanics, horticulture, and cosmetology.

A statement from Jeff Pratt, associate director of TVDSB, denies that the board plans to close the school.

TVDSB has confirmed that no new students are being admitted in the last two years, but attributes this to a drop in enrollment, a point that parents who have tried to enroll their students will argue.

Michelle Grech, a mother of two, tells Global News it was a struggle getting her son Liam into school. She didn’t start until the middle of 10th grade.

“He immediately felt like he belonged because everyone who attended might not have had the same learning disorder or the same disabilities, but they were all in the same boat,” Grech said.

She says both of her children have learning disabilities and struggled in the mainstream education system with large classes, but that all changed for her eldest son, who is graduating in 2021.

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“He felt safe in his learning environment, which he never had, and it helped him want to graduate and do the best he can.”

Pratt states that the TVDSB High School Attendance Area Review will begin during the 2022-2023 school year, and the public will have an opportunity to provide input.

“Thames Valley’s ‘rethinking secondary learning’ initiative has been helping to maximize program offerings at all of our secondary schools and enable more opportunities for all of our students at their local schools.”

But for parents and alumni, the value of the school goes beyond the courses offered, offering a different learning environment and community.

“It gives them a sense of belonging. The teachers who are there because the classrooms are small, they give the children who attend a purpose not only because they are educated, but also help them increase their confidence, help them see, they can learn, look, you can do this”, Grech. he said.

“My son made connections he had never made in his entire elementary school and then even tried to get into high school.”

Renne Mersereau attended Thames High School before the merger, graduating in 1995, and her son Michael just graduated in 2020.

“I have a learning disability, so I have trouble learning and I have trouble concentrating. So it helped me focus and actually get decent grades and graduate because I hated school,” Mersereau said.

She tells Global News that it wasn’t until she changed schools that she found a place that worked for her, and began to love school, adding that the same was true for her son Michael.

“He had a lot of difficulties in high school to the point that he was on the verge of dropping out. BD accepted him into school and helped him get the grades he needed and the education he needed and actually graduate from high school. If he wasn’t up to them, he would be a quitter,” Michael said.

Mersereau had hoped that his middle son, who is about to enter high school in a year, would be admitted, but was upset to discover that they are currently not admitting students.

“I think they should keep it open and bring in kids who need it, or kids with similar learning disabilities who can’t focus in large classes and who need extra support,” she said. “In regular high schools, they’re doing those programs, but it’s a larger class, and this school offers smaller class sizes and more personalized help and understanding for kids who need technical help.”