Cloverdale Traditional School is preparing for a celebration that’s been 100 years in the making. The Quadra Street school will celebrate a century of education on May 26.
“We’re proud to say we’re entering our 100th year as Cloverdale School and our 10th year as Cloverdale Traditional School. It’s two big celebrations we have coming up,” said Cloverdale vice-principal Sandra Jost.
While the preparations are still in the preliminary stages, Jost is expecting to have a student-focused celebration during the day, with adults gathering for a wine and cheese reception Friday evening.
“Former staff and former students will have a chance to mingle and reconnect and reminisce about what went on in days gone by,” said Jost, adding the entire community is invited to the May 26 celebration, not just former staff and students.
One former student who will be at the celebration is Trevor Locke, who attended Cloverdale in 1950 and is now a volunteer on the anniversary committee.
“We want to get everybody aware and to think about attending,” said Locke, whose son and grandson also attended Cloverdale.
He said more details about the centennial celebrations will be released in the coming weeks. Those interested in attending the celebration, as well as those willing to volunteer to help out with the event are asked to register at https://goo.gl/m2MQis.
Over the years, thousands of students have passed through the doors of Cloverdale, which started out in a shed that had been pulled onto the Quadra Street location. The current building was constructed in the 1960s, with students being bused to Richmond elementary last year as Cloverdale underwent seismic upgrades. But perhaps Cloverdale’s biggest change occurred a decade ago when it became a traditional school.
“The kids are all in uniform, that is the most visible thing,” said Jost.
And the familiar shrieks and hollers that echo through many school hallways aren’t heard at Cloverdale.
“You will see all of the children line up when they come into the school, they don’t just wander in. They are escorted into the classroom when the bell rings,” said Jost. “You walk in the hallway in straight lines without talking.”
She said the school has a high level of academic expectation, an emphasis on respect and a major focus on parental participation.
By any measure, the change has been a success. With declining enrolment when Cloverdale made the switch to a traditional school, there is now a waiting list to get into Cloverdale, which has an enrolment of 312 students from kindergarten to Grade 5. There are currently 110 children registered to attend kindergarten in September 2017, with only space for 44 students. There are 45 students registered for enrolment in 2018, with another 38 signed up for 2019.
“Some families are coming in basically on the day the child is born and saying I want to make sure my child [can go to Cloverdale],” said Jost, adding students come from throughout the region, from Sidney to Sooke. “It says wonderful things about what we have to offer at our school.”