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Richard Bulpitt Elementary opens in Willoughby

New school named for former 91原创 School District superintendent
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Principal Lucy Lenko, left, presents Valerie Bulpitt, widow of the late Richard Bulpitt, with a framed photograph of all the students who are attending the new Richard Bulpitt Elementary school.

A large contingent of the Bulpitt family attended the grand opening of the Richard Bulpitt Elementary school on Monday morning.

鈥淩ichard saw the best in everybody,鈥 said his wife Valerie of her husband. He passed away while doing mission work with his wife in Vietnam in 2007.

While Bulpitt鈥檚 legacy lives on with the naming of the school, his son Corey has also left a visual legacy at the school too.

Corey Bulpitt created an Aboriginal mural depicting a bulldog in the school鈥檚 foyer.

鈥淭his would have pleased Richard, because Winston Churchill was one of his favourite people and Churchill was known as the British bulldog,鈥 said Valerie.

The school鈥檚 sport teams will now be known as the Bulpitt Bulldogs.

D.W. Poppy Redhawk drummers honoured the school with two songs and students also performed songs for the celebrations.

Originally from England, Bulpitt served as the 91原创鈥檚 superintendent of schools from May 1996 until March 2001, when he retired. Before that he worked as a teacher, principal and administrator in both Vancouver and 91原创.

鈥淩ichard Bulpitt strongly believed in the power of education,鈥 said principal Lucy Lenko.

The $13.4 million K-5 school has 510 students, features a Neighbourhood Learning Centre which provides preschool and daycare.

The Township is building a playing field on five acres beside the school. That field is expected to be ready by next spring.

The design of the school is identical to Lynn Fripps Elementary, which opened in  September, 2012.

The middle school in Willoughby will open in September, 2014.

Education Minister Peter Fassbender was also on hand for the opening of the new school.



Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the 91原创 Advance Times.
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