A new Kindergarten to Grade 12 public school in Forest will be named “Lambton Shores Community School.”
The Lambton-Kent District School Board of Trustees approved the name during this week's board meeting.
The school's name was chosen by the Ad Hoc Naming Committee, which was comprised of representatives from LKDSB administration and seven schools within the area.
“Each committee member brought their own unique set of loyalties and ties from the different region or school they were representing, of course, but each member also recognized that collectively, we are all moving forward together," said LKDSB Trustee and Chair of the Ad Hoc Naming Committee Jayne Bryce. "We are not only building a new school but a new school community.”
During the naming process, input was sought from school communities and members of the public.
In total, 176 names were submitted for consideration.
“That number was then narrowed down to 30, and then to 12, put back to the community for input once again, and then narrowed down to just two before the final name was chosen,” Bryce said in an LKDSB media release.
Lambton Shores Community School will consolidate students from Aberarder Central School, Bosanquet Central School, Kinnwood Central School, and North Lambton Secondary School.
Students graduating from East Lambton Elementary School, Grand Bend Public School, and Hillside School will also start at Lambton Shores Community School in Grade 9.
The new school, located directly west of the Shores Recreation Centre, will also include 24 new childcare spaces with a two-room Child and Family Centre and a one-room childcare centre.
Construction is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2024.
This past summer, an additional $12.4 million in provincial funding was announced to enhance the scope of the project.