Outlined in red is an aerial view of the site for Snokomish Elementary, a new school targeted to open in the Sullivan area in spring 2025. (Map by Cosmos)
The Surrey Board of Education has approved the naming of Snokomish Elementary, a new school slated for development in the Sullivan neighbourhood.
At last week's board meeting, Superintendent Jordan Tinney presented on the proposed name for the school, located at 148 Street and 58 Avenue, and the district's school-naming process, which involved a public survey and considerable consultation with the Semiahmoo First Nation (SFN) and Chief Harley Chappell.
"We were getting a lot of feedback from the community around, how do we involve First Nations in the naming of schools and how do we make sure that schools can be named around place and time?," said Tinney. "Chief Chappell and the Semiahmoo First Nation presented a great report for us around some proposals for names."
Discussions with Chappell led to the name Snokomish, referring to an Indigenous community that lived near the site of the school, in the area of the Serpentine and Nicomekl rivers and south. The Snokomish were greatly reduced by smallpox and influenza, and survivors joined the Semiahmoo and Kwantlen First Nations.
Trustees Bob Holmes and Shawn Wilson each agreed that input from Chappell and SFN proved valuable in honouring the unceded traditional territory of the Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwantlen and other Coast Salish Peoples on which we work, play and learn in the Surrey School District.
"We do already consult with Indigenous communities, but I think the feedback we got made us really think more about making that a more wholesome process, something that really involves them in a much greater way," said Holmes.
"I think it shows a very deep interest - our interest and the district's interest - in respecting the scope and relationships with Indigenous people," said Wilson.
Tinney said the approach to naming Snokomish Elementary greatly improved upon previous school naming measures and involved meaningful collaboration with local First Nations.
"This naming process is symbolic of a much more purposeful relationship with Indigenous Peoples in Surrey around the naming of sites," he said. "Place, history and time are important concepts when it comes to naming locations."
Snokomish Elementary is still in the planning stage, with design completion and project tender currently scheduled for Spring 2023, with a targeted opening of spring 2025.
