Monarch Park school pool saved

Deal struck to keep east end high school pool open
Swim facility to serve high needs students plus community
By Kris Scheuer
(Written Feb. 9 for Town Crier newspaper.)

Teacher Jay Arrington with students Ravi Mahara and Daniel Costa celebrate having their pool back. Photo by Kris Scheuer/Town Crier.

Monarch Park CI students Daniel Costa and Ravi Mahara were all smiles when talking about how their school pool has been saved from being drained.
This pool was on the Toronto District School Board’s chopping block unless the school and larger community rallied to raise permit revenues to keep it open.
Costa, Mahara and 36 fellow students with physical and intellectual disabilities or special needs were unable to make use of their school pool for several months while the community raised money.
This meant they travelled by bus to Variety Village in Scarborough for swim classes in a pool that could meet their requirements.

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Fern school pool saved

Board votes to reopen the elementary school’s aquatic facility
Community, school, volunteers raise revenue to keep pool open
By Kris Scheuer
(Originally written Oct. 1 for Town Crier.)

Fern Elementary School’s pool is now saved and could reopen as soon as Oct. 12. 
It was on a probationary list of 13 facilities to be drained by the end of the year if sufficient permit revenue couldn’t be found. 
But the school and community rallied together to find enough money to convince the Toronto District School Board to keep Fern’s pool afloat. 
On Sept. 16, the school board voted to keep pools open at Fern, Jarvis, Downsview and Queen Alexandra and now just nine pools on the caution list. 
Fern principal Craig Tsuji said they had to cover about $30,000 in costs.
“People are passionate about keeping as much (resources) in their community as possible,” he said. “The Roncesvalles community really likes neighbourhood shopping, neighbourhood school, pool and market.”