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Saying goodbye, with class .744.1231
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Claire Church, left, Katie Rufh and Ravina Parmar stand in front of the mosaic welcoming people to Belmont secondary. The school will host its Farewell to Belmont celebrations next Saturday on May 9.
Recent alumni and those from decades past invited to share in Belmont farewell Arnold Lim News Gazette staff
Sometimes the hardest part is saying goodbye, but Belmont secondary is turning farewell into a celebration. Leanne Harrington, a former student and current teacher at the school, is among the organizers of Saying Goodbye to Belmont. The preparation for the May 9 gathering has seen committee members leave no stone unturned. The hope, Harrington says, is that the event leaves a positive legacy for the school in celebrating its 68 years of existence in one form or another. “We spent a lot of time deciding what (the farewell) would look like, taking it to all stakeholders, presenting that to our trustees at one of our local board meetings,” she said. “They were blown away with the ideas that were presented. From that we got approval. We’re very
Arnold Lim/ News Gazette staff
confident with what we have.” A community service class was born from those meetings. Grade 12s Ravina Parmar, Claire Church and Katie Rufh took the lead from the students’ side, working alongside past and present alumni, principal Ray Miller, teachers, Sooke School District trustees and superintendent Jim Cambridge. They all worked toward creating an event to say a respectful goodbye to a school that has seen more than 20,000 graduates. “High school is a very big part of everyone’s lives, especially Belmont, because it’s got character,” Colwood resident Rufh says. “It has a lot of amazing teachers inside of it and the students are
great. Belmont doesn’t get recognized for a lot, but there’s a lot of alumni that have done a lot of amazing things and it’s important to recognize that.” She is excited for the litany of activities planned. Starting with an pancake breakfast and aboriginal blessing at 9 a.m., the events include on-field musical performances by bands of all sorts featuring alumni from the 1960s, 70’s and through to the modern day. Also on tap will be the digging up of a time capsule for relocation to the new school, an online auction dubbed B-Bay where bidders can purchase Belmont historical memorabilia, a look at the Belmont Sports Hall of Fame and a closing ceremony.
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“It (is) going to be a big deal for a lot of the alumni; a lot of people are coming back to see the closing of the school,” Rufh says. “(We) thought it would be a great project to take on. We are big fans of the school. It may not look like much, but it has a lot of heart inside of it.” One of the organizing committee’s goals is to show the breadth of the school in areas from sports to academics and the arts, and to see every age group of alumni recognized and honoured. Rufh looks forward to making memories on a day featuring the best Belmont has to offer. PleAse see: Belmont farewell party, Page A6