The Sooke School District named it’s two new Langford schools inspired by First Nations language.
PEXSISEN [pronounced puck-see-sung] Elementary will house 500 elementary students in a two-storey building. The name – meaning ‘the opening of hands’ or ‘to have one’s hands wide open’ – was gifted by the Songhees First Nations.
Centre Mountain LELLYM [pronounced lay-lum] Middle will fit 700 Grade 6 through 8 students with three-storeys. The name was gifted by the Beecher Bay Nation and means ‘house’ and ‘the idea of community, where we raise our children.’
Centre Mountain is located near Westshore Parkway and is a treaty settlement between Metchosin, Langford and Beecher Bay, that includes the provincial and federal government.
“It gets me choked up to think about these names because it recognizes our history,” said Russ Chipps, chief counsellor of Beecher Bay. “We’re all treated as equals … it’s not something that you don’t think about anymore with the territories getting acknowledged.”
For context, the names were gifted by the Songhees and Beecher Bay First Nations.
Russ Chipps, chief counsellor of Beecher Bay says these names make him feel equal. pic.twitter.com/kBHlZaUJPf
— Aaron Guillen (@iaaronguillen) March 12, 2020
READ MORE: Sarah Beckett among top three name choices for two new Sooke District schools
Sooke School District trustee Ravi Parmar pointed out it is the fastest growing district in the province.
“Back in the early 2000s, we were declining in enrollment. It’s amazing to me that there’s a need for another secondary school out here now.”
Parmar says their latest numbers show that they’ve been growing by 300 to 500 students a year in the school district.
Popular potential names were Sarah Beckett, Westhills, and an Indigenous-inspired name, according to survey results from December 2019.
Both schools on the west side of Langford are expected open by September 2022.
aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com
@iaaronguillen
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