The Editor,

The only English high school between Maniwaki and Gatineau-Hull is again being threatened with closure!

St. Michael’s needs your presence and voice at the upcoming Western Quebec School Board consultation meeting to be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 28 at the Heritage Hall in Low.

Please, do not neglect this meeting! This is the time and place to have this proposed school closure reversed. We stood strong and fought such threats four times in the past 30 years, and we can do it again. The lives of present and future generations of our local youth are at stake as well as the viability of our communities.

Our rural schools were built on determination and physical and monetary sacrifices because our predecessors believed our children had the inherent right to a quality basic education within their communities.

I believe they still have. St. Michael’s High School must be allowed to continue its delivering high-quality, Secondary I to Secondary V education in Low!

Meanwhile, the revitalization of our rural sectors depend on education and training. School Boards and colleges must work in concert with municipal governments and agencies to co-ordinate and meet the needs of our large rural sectors.

We showed it could be done in the past when the very successful three-year Heritage College DEC programs in Agriculture were offered in Low.

It can be done in all spheres of education. It starts with primary and secondary education being available locally, followed by accessible and affordable post-secondary options.

Courses in municipal affairs and school board administration, college-level courses for director-generals and municipal inspectors, first-year college, etc., would be very good starting points.

With present technologies, all is possible – if we but have the visionaries to make it happen.

Colette Canavan

Low, Quebec