Relief as elementary schools survive devastating wildfires, but questions remain about new school year

Officials say they're hugely relieved that two elementary schools located in evacuation zones were spared from the wildfires ravaging British Columbia's southern Interior.

Even as blazes roared around them, the North Shuswap Elementary School in Celista and the Rose Valley Elementary School in West Kelowna survived with little to no damage.

It comes despite widespread destruction due to the McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna and the Bush Creek East wildfire in the Shuswap region, which includes Celista.

The latest count shows that 189 structures in the Central Okanagan and 168 in the Shuswap have been destroyed or damaged due to the fires.

Despite both schools being in areas that were under evacuation orders, their survival has meant teachers and students can look forward to returning this September, according to district officials.

However, in Celista there are still power outages and evacuation orders that could delay the start of the new school year, or force classes to be held in a different location.

'Unique start of the school year'

According to SD83's website, North Shuswap Elementary School is the sole school in Celista, an unincorporated community with more than 500 residents. Approximately 130 students from kindergarten to Grade 8 attend the school.

Donna Krieger, superintendent of the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District (SD83), remains hopeful that students from Celista and neighbouring communities like Scotch Creek and Anglemont will be able to return to North Shuswap Elementary once evacuation orders are lifted, power is restored, and traffic access to the surrounding area is reinstated.

But the school district has also been exploring alternative locations. They have considered using a community hall as a temporary place where students can learn with their teachers for the upcoming school year, which is expected to begin later than usual.

Krieger also says the school district would provide additional counselling services for both students and teachers, recognizing that some of them have lost their homes due to the wildfires.

"This really is going to be a unique start to the school year," she said. "There's a lot that they've experienced, and we know that kids aren't going to be able to learn until they're emotionally regulated."

For Krieger, the untouched North Shuswap Elementary School stands as "a beacon of hope" for the fire-ravaged community.

"It was an immense relief," to see the school standing, she told host Shelley Joyce on CBC's Daybreak Kamloops on Monday.

"From a first glance in our first walk-through, the school looks like it is in excellent condition … from all accounts, the school looks like it is in absolutely pristine condition."

Supports in place in Central Okanagan

Kevin Kaardal, the superintendent of the Central Okanagan School District (SD23), said that firefighters in West Kelowna made saving Rose Valley Elementary a priority early on — and the school remained relatively untouched by the blaze.

"They had sprinklers up on the roof. We had fire trucks there and firefighters directly fighting the blaze to keep it away from the school, and they were successful," Kaardal told CBC News.

"I think it's incredibly remarkable. But I do think it's also very much a credit to the courageous work that was done by our firefighters and first responders."

While the school was in the evacuation order area covering the Rose Valley, it was taken off evacuation order on Monday. Anyone at the school will be on evacuation alert instead, which means they still have to be prepared to leave at a moment's notice.

Kaardal says they will try to have the return to school be "as normal as possible" for parents and children in the district but acknowledged it will not be entirely normal for the 24,000 students in SD23.

"We've had to do some considerable planning in terms of supporting families when they come back," he said. "We have some funds that'll be able to help some of those families that are now experiencing some financial challenges or food scarcity." 

Kaardal also said that the school district would have mental health support and counselling services in place and would extend accommodations to students who have had to relocate due to the blazes.