School and Community History

Oyama Traditional is centrally located in the heart of Oyama, one of the four wards within the District of Lake Country. Oyama is primarily a rural and agricultural area (fruit trees and cattle). Many professionals choose to make Oyama their home base because of the quality of life offered in this small community and its close proximity to the larger centres of Vernon and Kelowna. This diverse blend of farming and global culture work together to enhance Oyama’s unique social landscape.

The majority of children attending Oyama Traditional live in single-family dwellings. During the fall of 2001 the District of Lake Country redesigned the community sector plan to accommodate more housing development, thus ideally allowing for a continuous flow of children into Oyama Traditional to address future enrollment needs.

Oyama Traditional is blessed with an extremely active and supportive relationship between the school, parents and the community at large. There has been a school in Oyama since 1908. From these early days the school and the Oyama Community Club have worked hand in hand to provide the school a venue for pageants, concerts, fundraisers, and community/school meetings. In turn, the school PAC participates in the annual Oyama Fun Day hosted by the Community Club. The school has had various equipment donated by the Community Club from funds raised through activities. The PAC and school have loaned audio-visual equipment to the Community Club for community events. There are regular announcements in the school and community newsletters promoting each other’s events, as well as a central bulletin board at the school for posting community events. The school benefits annually from over 100 parent and community volunteers assisting with school teams, sports days, field trips, school concerts and the One-to-One reading program.

Throughout the 2003/2004 school season, the parents and community took a pro-active role in finding ways to keep the elementary school in Oyama open. Oyama residents live by the philosophy that “it takes a whole community to raise a child” and the school in Oyama has been the heart of the community since the turn of the century. It was determined through surveys and public information meetings that with its history, family involvement, and school support, the change to Traditional in Oyama would be an ideal fit for the community.