Celebration opens school

Mar Jok Elementary School in West Kelowna is officially open.

The newest school in the district held a grand opening ceremony Thursday to coincide with the Chinese new year.

This is the year of the sheep or goat, and Shu Lee with the Chinese Freemason Club explains that 2015 is to bring luck and good fortune.

“For people born in the year of the sheep, they are very kind person, a friendly person, nice to talk to, easy to talk to and make friends with you. They also bring luck to you, they support you in any way. Whatever you ask them to do, they will do for you,” says Lee.

Mar Jok Elementary, which opened its doors in the fall, won a 2015 gold Tommie Award for its architecture and design.

Principal Alida Privett says the school is built on an open concept for collaborative learning.

“There is lots of open space, space for students to work and learn together, lots of sliding glass doors. It is very different design to promote 21st century learning.”

The school was named after Jok Mar, a pioneer in the local Chinese Canadian community and who once owned the land the school was built on. Family members were in attendance at the grand opening to honour their grandfather’s name.

David Jones, Mar’s grandson, says the honour is unbelievable.

“He was one of the pioneers who came to the Westside of the lake in order to farm and make a life here for himself,” explains Jones. “Today, you have all of the development, the school, and now his memory in name will be here quite some time.”

Chinese New Year celebrations run until March 7, with a spring lantern festival taking place this Saturday at Parkinson Rec Centre.

Photo: Contributed