Students, staff and community members will have the opportunity to suggest names for the new Northglen neighbourhood elementary school that is scheduled to open in Bowmanville in September 2025.
Trustees approved a joint board/community school naming committee that will welcome suggestions from all students, staff, parents and caregivers, school councils and community members for the new school.
The new Northglen neighbourhood school will have space for 769 students, from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8, as well as a four-room childcare centre.
“We are very excited about the building of the new Northglen neighbourhood elementary school, which is much needed to support our growing student population in the Bowmanville area,” says Jaine Klassen Jeninga, Chairperson of the Board. “We know that this new 21st century learning facility will benefit the students, staff, families and members of this community for generations to come.”
“We encourage people to submit names that reflect the diversity of our students and communities and values their voices.”
“A committee including local Trustees, student, staff, and community representatives from the local schools that will form the Northglen school community will be part of the committee that coordinates suggestions for the naming of the new school,” says Klassen Jeninga. “The committee will then establish a short list of preferred names, and recommend one of those names to the Board for approval.”
Accommodation Planning – Peterborough City and County and Clarke High School
As part of the Resource Committee report, the Board received an update on phase two of the Accommodation Planning process for Peterborough City and County schools.
A final staff report will be presented to the Board of Trustees for consideration at the December 10, 2024, Board meeting. Any approved accommodation strategies will begin to be implemented, starting in September 2025.
Administration also reviewed a commitment to provide enhanced programming opportunities at Clarke HS, and to address enrolment pressures at Bowmanville HS. As part of these plans, beginning in September 2026, Bowmanville HS will be closed to all out-of-boundary students, including those within the Clarke HS attendance area.
This change will impact students beginning in Grade 9 in 2026. Existing out-of-boundary students at Bowmanville HS from the Clarke HS attendance area will be permitted to remain at Bowmanville HS.
Administration believes that this decision will support enhanced educational programming at Clarke HS and will provide a long-term solution to the accommodation pressures at Bowmanville HS.
“We are committed to providing robust educational programming at Clarke High School to meet the needs of our students within this school community,” says Klassen Jeninga. “At the same time, we are also looking to address long-standing accommodation pressures at Bowmanville High School.”
To inform and plan for a successful transition in September 2026, a community engagement session will be held with the community on:
• December 12, 6:00 p.m. at Clarke High School
“As a school board, we continue to experience significant growth within the Municipality of Clarington. This growth has contributed to Bowmanville HS having an enrolment rate that is 126% of its capacity.
Much of the accommodation pressure that the school is experiencing is due to students who are attending from outside the Bowmanville HS attendance area (i.e., out-of-boundary students).
In the 2023-2024 school year, Bowmanville HS was closed to out-of-boundary students with the exception of students residing in the Clarke HS attendance area.
(Written by: Pete Fisher, Today’s Northumberland)