If you ask principal Hal Wall, the biggest story of Morley Elementary School’s 60-year history isn’t that Michael J. Fox was a student there.
For him, it’s the way the school has evolved to meet the needs of students in a neighbourhood that has seen dramatic change.
The school, which celebrates its 60th anniversary on Friday with a community carnival, first opened its doors in 1955 in a brand-new subdivision, full of white, middle-class families and a lot of young, Baby-Boom children, according to Morley alumna Heather Crichton.
Crichton was at the school the day it opened – going into Grade 4 in Miss Lewis’s class.
In the ’70s and ’80s, her two sons went to the school, and two of her grandchildren are students there now.
“It wasn’t as big as what it is now,” Crichton said of the school in her day. “It was probably just grades 1 to 6, and we each had a classroom.”
While the Morley grew, the demographics hadn’t changed much by the time Wall, the current principal, attended there a few decades later.
“When we first started, we were all Caucasian, as were so many schools,” Wall said.
The first Asian student he remembers seeing at the school was in his younger brother’s class.
“It was so unusual, even though the child spoke English,” Wall said.
Today, Morley’s student population could hardly be more diverse – or more different from what it was then.
“Now, I would say, about 95 per cent of our population learns a language other than English as their first language,” Wall said.
And language isn’t the only challenge many of today’s Morley students face.
“We have a lot of refugees,” Wall said. “Last year I think we had about 60 either current or former refugees out of a population of about 135.”
Fifteen years ago, whatever the school was doing wasn’t working with this new demographic.
Morley saw about 150 suspensions a years, according to Wall.
These days, he said, there are about five.
According to Wall, things changed after former Morley principal Steve Cairns went to the district for help and started working with district counsellor Bev Ogilvie.
“She said, ‘It’s about attachment; it’s about relationships.’” Wall said, “And that is the biggest story about Morley.”
Since then, the school has focused on building relationships in the neighbourhood, and Morley’s 60th anniversary celebrations will be no exception.
“This is to build and strengthen community ties,” Wall said. “The stronger families are tied to their school, the more successful kids are.”
The approach seems to be working for at least one family that’s been tied to the school from the very beginning.
“My grandsons seem to think it’s a good school,” said Crichton.
Morley’s 60th anniversary celebrations – featuring vintage photos and memorabilia from the school’s past, carnival games, concession, raffle, dunk tank, nail booth, hair striping and a chance to meet with former students and staff – take place at the school (7355 Morley St.) from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 2.
As for the school’s most famous alumnus – Michael J. Fox won’t be on hand in the flesh, but he has signed some memorabilia for the school to raffle off.
For info, visit morley.sd41.bc.ca or call the school at 604-664-8774.
