New school back on the move

BY VICTORIA THEORET

Bryden Murray is surprisingly jovial after moving twice in the last six months. The mountain of boxes does not faze this elementary school principal. After all, he has become acquainted with moving schools.

Murray was the principal at Windermere elementary school for three years before its closure last June. He is now the principal of Sherwood Forest elementary in Beaconsfield, which is an amalgamation of Windermere and Allancroft schools. There are 445 students who attend Sherwood Forest.

The children and staff have spent the last three months in the Allancroft building, moving now to the former Windermere edifice. Today, marks a return home in some ways for Murray. But it is a new home with many more faces that will make this journey special. The building was renovated inside to accommodate the extra students and staff. A once open-learning-concept building will now have closed classrooms. Murray noted that it would be a new school for everyone.

Initially, the final move was only supposed to take place after the holidays, but staff and parents alike felt that a move before the holiday break was the best plan.

“The whole idea is that we’ll be settled after the holidays. People won’t be worrying over the holidays,� Murray said, smiling.

Murray has had to keep his spirits up to ensure that this second transition in such a short period runs as smoothly as the first one. This double move makes Sherwood Forest a unique case amongst the six newly-merged schools. Murray does not see this as a challenge, despite the fact that there has been no shortage of work.

Murray’s first priority is the children. Various activities were planned to bring the school together and put students at ease through the second transition. On Monday and Tuesday, the last two days in the building, were marked with a school wide activity day. Many outside people were brought in, including Dynamix, who specializes in teaching children leadership and co-operation skills and McGill Lets Talk Science, who will run various workshops with the children.

Murray is confident that the move today will run smoothly. The staff and children have begun to gel as one.

“The dynamic with the kids has been very good. They have a sense of adventure. Fundamentally, what this all means to them is new friends.� Murray said proudly. “They are really wonderful kids.�

An official closing assembly was held last Wednesday, not only to mark the end of life at the Allancroft building, but also to celebrate the next chapter of their adventure as one school. The assembly was made as upbeat as possible, though there were some teary eyes in the crowd.

“We mentioned to the kids how lucky we are to live in this building and to move to another wonderful building.� Murray said.

Despite the excitement for the new building, there was a sense of nostalgia in the air. Cardboard boxes stood where desks once were. The walls were bare of any art. It was a building that at one time happened to be a school.

“There is still a lot of sadness. This is a school with a wonderful history. People make a school, but the building should not be forgotten,� Murray said.

Allancroft, located on Allancroft Road in Beaconsfield, has been part of the local community since 1959. The future of the building is unknown; the sale of the building has not been determined but Lester B. Pearson School Board commissioner Eric Bender does think that it will be put on the market shortly. He said Beaconsfield city council has shown some interest in purchasing the building.