Yorkregion.com - Aurora - Brand new school reflects early heritage
Brand new school reflects early heritage
Grade 7 student Catherine Savitsky creates a music note to be displayed at the grand opening of Hartman Public School in the Bayview Avenue and Wellington Street area.
Aurora
Nov 19, 2007 06:42 PM
Faces and Places
By: Teresa Latchford
This new school carries some history.
New bricks, freshly painted walls and that new car smell describes Hartman Public School in Aurora, just north of Bayview Avenue and Wellington Street.
But the school is carrying on a part of history in its name.
“In 1838, the original Hartman school was on this property,” principal Lisa Walsh explained. “It wasn’t owned by the Hartman family but Joseph Hartman was the first teacher in the school.”
Since the doors opened in September, Ms Walsh has been in touch with many members of the Hartman family, some from as far away as Calgary, who plan to attend the official opening. Local resident Pat Hartman will be the keynote speaker at the event.
“We are proud to carry on the name and the history,” Ms Walsh said.
A custom made cabinet at the front entrance will display the Hartman family history. The family is donating a plaque to the school and there will be books in the library that once sat on shelves in the original Hartman school.
The school houses 20 teachers, 14 classrooms and 360 students with the potential of 550 in coming years.
Not only is the school community celebrating the past, but students are doing their part to make a bit of history for themselves. They are creating and designing plaster music notes to be displayed around the school, commemorating the first students to attend the school.
The motto is “many voices one song”, which was chosen to represent the diversity of the school population which had joined together for education.
The school is taking an arts approach, integrating music, theatre and art throughout the curriculum. Designated art and music rooms allow teachers to engage their students outside of their own classrooms.
Technology is in abundance in the school from high-tech security systems to laptop labs and smart boards (an interactive electronic version of a traditional black board). The gymnasium features a spring form floor, made of a spongy material to help prevent injury, and a retractable stage, which saves space.
“We have a lot of things you don’t see in older schools,” Ms Walsh explained. “(There’s) a guided reading table, it’s shaped like a U so the teacher can sit in the centre and have access to all of the students.”
The school design allows four classrooms to be linked by a pod, an empty common area where different grades can get together for presentations or can be utilized when students need more room to work on projects.
A dedicated serving room, equipped with a kitchen and eating area, makes it simple on pizza or hot dog lunch days and will be well used when a breakfast program starts.
For teachers there’s a conference room for meetings and a reference room for education-related material.
For special needs students, the classroom is spacious for ease of movement with a wheelchair and has its own bathroom equipped with a lift, laundry facilities and shower facilities.
The school is also the home of a YMCA day care.
The school will celebrate its grand opening Dec. 18 at 130 River Ridge Blvd. The school choir will perform the new school song and there will be an official ribbon cutting and more activities.
Everyone is welcome.