Two schools in opposite corners of Surrey will soon have new names, with one gifted to the district by the Kwantlen First Nation after a late Kwantlen elder.
At the April public board meeting, the Surrey Board of Education approved the name Theresa Clarke Elementary after respected long-time Kwantlen elder Theresa Clarke who grew up on the Kwantlen territory and lived to be 100 years old. While Clarke was partially blind, she memorized the land by counting steps and knew Surrey extensively.
Kwantlen Chief Marilyn Gabriel was on hand at last week's Surrey Board of Education public board meeting to recognize late Kwantlen elder Theresa Clarke with the naming of Theresa Clarke Elementary. The board approved the name Theresa Clarke Elementary, set to open in September at the site of the current City Central Learning Centre, as well as the name Redwood Park Elementary for a new school in South Surrey.
"It's a good day when I can go back to my elders and say they have chosen one of our names," said Kwantlen Chief Marilyn Gabriel. "They've chosen a place name that is important to Kwantlen people, and people are going to say it."
"Our names and our language is connected to the land," said Kwantlen cultural department member Michael Kelly-Gabriel. "When we share our traditional names, we're not only acknowledging the ones who are here in person, we're also honouring the ones before that carried that name."
