The results of the Kelly Road survey are in, and many residents want the name to stay as-is.
68% of the more than 2,700 respondents would like the school to remain Kelly Road Secondary School (KRSS), while 30% of respondents believe the name should include Shas Ti in some way.
13% (the second largest group) want the name to be Shas Ti Secondary solely, while 13% want a combined name, the most popular being: Kelly Road-Shas Ti Secondary.
An additional 3% want to keep the school named Kelly Road Secondary with Shas Ti represented within the building or area.
However, an overwhelming majority of respondents (85.5%) believe that both histories/stories of Kelly Road Secondary School and Shas Ti can, and should both be acknowledged together in the spirit of reconciliation.
Respondents were heavily invested in the issue, as a total of 89.78% of people reported having high (27.46%) or very high (62.32%) interest in the final decision.
The issue extended well beyond Prince George, with 103 responses received from locations throughout British Columbia, 20 from Alberta, and even 6 being submitted internationally.
81% of respondents identified as having a direct link to Kelly Road, saying they themselves, or a family member, had attended or would be attending the school.
The “direct link” category’s representation was wide-reaching as some respondents reported having up to six generations of family who were connected to the school, while various staff and faculty were also placed in this category.
Most responses came immediately after the questionnaire became available, as 1,543 individuals responded in the first week, with an additional 1,164 responding over the next three weeks.
The largest age group of respondents (26.74%) were between 35-44, with the second-largest group (21.12%) being between 45-54.
However, some of the flaws associated with self-report questionnaires were present.
128 (1.86%) of participants identified as the age of a current KRSS student (13-17), despite 431 individuals identifying themselves as KRSS students.
Additionally, data sets were subject to change question-to-question as a portion of respondents did not answer all questions fully.
“There were quite a few households that answered as a household, and so some responses represented a multitude of viewpoints,” SD57 Superintendent Anita Richardson explained.
Finally, some concerns about abusive language, personal attacks, and other inappropriate responses were expressed, with some responses being discredited due to not following the rules presented alongside the questionnaire.
“As a board, we would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the questionnaire,” Said SD57 Chair Tim Bennett.
The final decision on the name of the school will come at the next school board meeting on Tuesday (April 28th).
More information, including a complete list of responses to each question, can be found online.