Over the last several days, local media outlets were reporting that the shortlist for the name of Kingsville’s new school had been whittled down to two options: Kingsville District Academy and Greater Kingsville Academy. These choices came after several months of meetings held by a special committee that was struck for the purpose of examining meaningful names that had been submitted by members of the public.
On February 20, 2024, the Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) met for its regularly scheduled meeting. On the agenda was the matter of the new name for Kingsville’s K-12 school under construction on Jasperson Lane and due to open its doors this fall.
Trustee Julia Burgess, the Chair of naming committee for the school, decided to invoke a regulation that allowed her to put forward an alternate name: Erie Migration Academy.
In explaining her choice, Burgess confirmed that the word academy was “pretty contentious” and “universally, mildly disliked.” However she was “fully conceded to it being used.” Additionally, according to her, the words “Erie,” “north” and “shores” came up in many of the more than 600 public submissions that she stated had been received.
Burgess credited Scott Scantlebury, a public relations officer with the board, with providing a backgrounder which demonstrated “marvellous connections to migration” in Colchester, Harrow and Kingsville.
Trustees Nancy Armstrong and Linda Qin voted against the new name. Armstrong didn’t want to go against the names the parents and committee had come up with. However, the motion to adopt the name Erie Migration Academy for our new school was passed with the support of six other Trustees.
Click here to watch the deliberations which start at 1:57:00 of the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUbMdJlcKqk&t=7323s
I grew up in Windsor (now live up north), yet still own my family home there.
The debate over the new school naming caught my interest.
Agree that the students,staff parents and taxpayers should have had a dominant voice in naming the school.
Although not a fan of naming places after people, the significance of Jack Miner’s Miratory sanctuary is a local gem.
I remember many school field trips learning about nature and the need to protection it. This was at a time (50+years ago) when it was not on the radar.
I think the “Board and trustees” were to worried about not being politically 100% inclusive.
As to locals, not all the kids attending the school will be from Kingsville, as it will encompase a much larger catchement.. I think that name should be dropped.
In terms of inclusiveness, I not sure if the local First Nations were consulted. I did not even know their were any Indigenous people living in the region until much later in life (we were never taught about it).
Listen to the people who will be attending and supporting the school!
This article is well stated in encouraging the school trustees to revisit their own school naming process and let the voting public select a name that includes and suits Kingsville. I do believe that the next election will correctly remove trustees that don’t listen to the voting public such as Julia Burgess.
Kingsville voters are united on this being corrected and all levels of elected officials should address this request by voters promptly without further delay.
I almost LOVE the name Erie Migration, but it should just say School instead Academy, which sounds stuffy and pompous.
This name depicts that it is on the shore of Lake Erie as well as on the migration path of soooo many lovely birds.
How many schools are in such a descriptive and beautiful area. Why Not Be Proud Of It and the name Erie Migration (School)?
What a Narcissistic self centred bias agenda. Through it all out and start over. What a shame it is!
Erie Migration Academy is a ridiculous name.
Fortunately it will likely be ignored and the facility will eventually be called something simple such as The Kingsville Academy.
Circulating on Social Media:
Current and past grads of KDHS say EMA is an acronym for “Eat My A**”
Can’t make this stuff up. That’s Julia’s legacy here folks if the name sticks.
When I heard the name of our new K-12 school I was disgusted. The board of trustees especially Julia Burgess should be ashamed. They have ignored the community that supports this school.
My hunch is Julia wont run for the school during the next election and invoking the regulation to choose a name of her own choice, over the recommendations of the naming committee, is nothing more than an ego trip to create her own personal legacy at the Board . My other hunch is everyone will just call it “Kingsville” or “Kingsville Academy” , if for no other reason than sign of protest. SHAME on you Julia.
Blatant disregard for public suggestions & the committee suggestions.
What a joke.
I think Julia Burgess should be ashamed of herself for pulling a last minute stunt to rename the school. Many people correctly wanted the name Kingsville attached to the school. We do not live in Erie and there is migration everywhere, and Jack Miner’s adequately takes care of that for us. Erie Migration Academy is a terrible name. I can’t believe that other members of the Board were enticed to vote for it!
I have just about had it with Julia Burgess!! I cannot wait to vote her and her “ diversity and inclusion” BS out of the school board. To completely go against the committee at the last minute to put her own selection in is outrageous and an absolute abuse of the democratic process. She is also me of the trustees that wanted to remove all sorts of names of Windsor schools because they represented “ colonialism “. Give me a break! What a joke she and our school board are!!! Remember her at election time people!
Erie Migration Academy. Why do I love this name? First of all, the word “Academy”. It reminds me of the National Historic Site, Lunenburg Academy, which is a remarkable building situated on a hill in the Nova Scotian town. That was the first image that came to mind. As for, “Erie Migration” – right away the artist in me pictured Canada Geese flying over Lake Erie, honking and breaking formation and reassembling in flight, and plein air painters on the shore capturing this display. Like “Lunenburg Academy” there is no mistaking where in the world the “Erie Migration Academy” is located. All the schools I ever attended were named after long dead-buried-and forgotten men. “Erie Migration Academy” is a refreshing change. I could actually envision myself as a student entering its doors and taking flight into the blue sky of possibilities.
Ms McMaster:
The issue is not the name.
The issue is appealing to the public, then ignoring it and acting unilaterally.
If you need an example of how that small indiscretion can eventually lead to an out of control despot look no further than Dolton, Illinois.
No, the issue is democracy.
PJC
My wife and I watched the entire painful video attached of the GECDSB. How rich the Essex County school board does not want kingsville in the name because it’s not DIE, as in Diverse, Inclusive and Equitable. What an abuse of power and politics, such a sad waste of due process to abandon the final two names and create a narrative of DIE.
My wife is 100% native born indigenous and for her to hear the head of the naming committee from GECDSB fumble around with native heritage was just wrong. With one google search you can see the indigenous name Erielhonan which means long tail referring to the eastern cougar. Why don’t we call the school Long Tail Eastern Cougars to be Inclusive? The trustee said long tail had something to do with the length of the lake of the peninsula.
Look up the address as that is the official location of the school it will state Kingsville. What will they want to do next change the name of Kingsville because it’s not DIE.
Everyone knows we are on the north shore of Lake Erie which covers some 400 kms and literally 100s of communities.
When you hear someone manipulate a process at the last minute based on a loop hole with switch and bate of every word to fit their narrative and ignore a months long process including the parents and tax payers of the new K~12 school in kingsville you can see it was political and predetermined.
I grew up in Kingsville and the name of the town is more than someone’s name it is a community of beautiful memories and wonderful future and we should not allow a single person on GECDSB to manipulate and diminish our towns name as she did because in her words it is not inclusive or not being DIE.
Be very careful every one of our great community this is a very slippery slope the Greater Essex County District School Board and the head of the naming committee is taking us down.
I suggest the GECDSB look a a mirror and spend time on changing their own name with DIE, anyone got any suggestions what we should suggest as new names for the GECDSB? How about the Great Exit Coming Down Soon Bye. GECDSB
Write our MPP and premier and let them know how you feel about this tactic they did in the last minute. Put new names on the ballet, vote them out, change is good. After all the head of the naming committee in the trustees absolutely stated she expects push back and fall out and accusations of manipulation. Because that is what it is and that is what they did in the political DIE.
Thank you
Will
I can see when a school closes its doors ,their school name is gone. So suggestions on a new name is something that does not favour one school over another. But the choice of words used in this school name conjures up all sorts of questions,not to mention the overreach of how this name was submitted.
Why did the Board of Trustees ignore the 2 names recommended by the 24-member committee – including students who are going to attend the school ? Complete disrespect for these community volunteers
Since tax payers are on the hook for the new school I think they should have the privilege of naming it. A protest is in order as far as I’m concerned.
No one will associate the name “Erie Migration Academy” with it being a school. I sure don’t. It is totally inappropriate. The word Migration does not conjure up the image of education. Academy conjures up image of privileged, upper class private school education. The name does not represent Kingsville, nor does it represent the inhabitants of Kingsville.
I don’t get this new name at all: Erie? Migration? Academy? My initial reaction to hearing this was, “What? What is it?” Why is the word ‘academy’ in the name of the school at all? It sounds pompous and pretentious; the town’s new school is a public school, not a private one. Not to mention, the town’s name, Kingsville, is not even in the school’s name. Why not call the new school what it is: The Kingsville District School.
Why ask for any public opinion! Not in agreement with the name you chose! Kingsville should be in the name.
The name Erie Migration Academy is a joke. Julia Burgess should be ashamed of herself for basically going against the majority who want the name Kingsville included. She just confirmed my reason for not voting for her.
This Board makes me furious! After going against public opinion and messing up the historic GAHS by calling it North Star….you have done it again to Kingsville!
Are the children migrating or does the new name refer to the thousands of seasonal , migrant greenhouse workers?
Your actions are an embarrassment to not only the committee naming members but also to most residents of Amherstburg and now Kingsville. Who will be disappointed next?
Not enamoured of that name.