General Vanier Public School (Ottawa)
{{Infobox school
| name = General Vanier Public School
| image = Repaving_GVP_yard.jpeg
| alt = Repaving Work at General Vanier PS (West and partial South sides of bldg)
| caption = Repaving the General Vanier PS schoolyard
| motto = "Together, in a positive, secure environment, the General Vanier School Community fosters the development of respectful, caring, responsible, interdependent, self-directed learners."
| address = 1025 Harkness Avenue
| city = Ottawa
| province = Ontario
| postcode = K1V 6N9
| country = Canada
| coordinates = {{coord|45.367644|N|75.674716|W|region:CA-ON|display=inline,title}}
| established = 1963
| closed =
| type =
| district =
| grades = J-K to Grade 3
| schoolboard = Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
| trustee = Shirley Seward
| superintendent = Nadia Towaij
| principal = Christina Rathier
| viceprincipal =
| enrollment =
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| communities = Riverside Park East
| feeders =
| website = {{URL|http://www.generalvanierps.ocdsb.ca/}}
| footnotes =
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Opened for the 1963-64 school year, General Vanier Public School serves Ottawa's Riverside Park East and South communities. The school was completed in 1963 on what had been the Munro farm. The school accommodated students from kindergarten through grade 6. Grades 7 and 8 were transported by bus from the school to Hopewell Avenue School.{{cite news|title=City of Ottawa Public School Board: School Boundary Changes|work=The Ottawa Citizen|issue=268|date=23 August 1963|page=24}}
At the time of the opening in the fall of 1963, Bayview Public School on Riverside Drive was undergoing renovations. Students temporarily attended General Vanier PS.
The school adjoins Pauline Vanier Park, named after the Governor-General's wife.
Naming the School
File:Social. Col & Mrs Vanier BAnQ P48S1P05925.jpg
The Ottawa public board, which had begun naming schools after vice-regal representatives, sought and obtained the permission of Governor-General Georges Vanier to name the school after him. It had already named schools after Governors-General Vincent Massey and Viscount Alexander.{{cite news|title=New School to be Named for Vanier|work=The Ottawa Citizen|date=3 May 1963|ref=citizennamed|page=4}}
Visitors and Events
The Governor-General and Mrs Vanier attended the official opening of the school on 21 November 1963. On that occasion he unveiled a plaque commemorating the event, which is displayed at the entrance of the building.{{National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials|id=8384|title=General Vanier Public School: Memorial 35060-005 Ottawa, ON|access-date=30 December 2016}} The visit was lighthearted, including a lesson for the children by Mrs. Vanier on how to curtsey.{{cite news|title=It's not the twist (photo)|work=The Montreal Gazette|agency=Canadian Press|publisher=The Gazette Printing Company|date=25 November 1963|page=35}}
In May 1964, Mrs. Vanier returned for another visit to the school. On this occasion she granted the students a special holiday, at the request of the Governor-General who had asked she do so for "those kids of mine".{{cite news|title=Playtime|work=The Ottawa Citizen|issue=501|date=28 May 1964|page=1}}
To celebrate the school's 50th anniversary, a time capsule was created by students with the assistance of School Board artist-in-residence Marc Walter, a mixed-media artist from Edelweiss, Quebec. All 177 students contributed to the capsule which was publicly unveiled May 23, 2014. It is intended to be reopened after 25 years.{{cite news|last1=McCracken|first1=Erin|title=General Vanier time capsule to mark anniversary|url=http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/4547677-general-vanier-time-capsule-to-mark-anniversary/|access-date=6 August 2015|work=Ottawa South News|date=29 May 2014}}
Notes
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External links
{{Commons}}
- [http://www.ocdsb.ca/ Ottawa-Carleton District School Board]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150810142735/http://www.ottawaschoolbus.ca/ Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA)]
- [http://www.ocdsb.ca/sch/20102011%20Elementary%20School%20Profile/GVAN.pdf OCDSB School Profile of General Vanier Public School]
{{OCDSB}}
{{Ottawa}}
Category:Elementary schools in Ottawa