March 4th, 2022

The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) is excited to announce the name of our newest elementary school.

Oak Creek Public School, which is located at 80 Tartan Avenue in Southwest Kitchener, is scheduled to open September 2022. The school will accommodate 591 students in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8, and will also be home to a child care centre, as well as a City of Kitchener Community Centre.

At a Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, February 14, 2022, trustees approved the recommended name brought forward by the Naming Committee. The committee – trustees, staff and community members – reviewed more than 120 names that were submitted over a three week period during our Help Name Our New Kitchener Elementary School community engagement campaign.

The name Oak Creek brings together two significant natural features located near the school.

The word Oak comes from the Oak trees that are native to this area. As the submitter of the name shared within their entry, “these trees are slow-growing…as a student grows, their skills and knowledge are layered upon as they move through the grades, much like the rings of a tree. Oaks are strong and resilient, qualities we hope our students will gain as they mature.”

The word Creek honours Strasburg Creek which is located near the school site and is one of the only cold-water streams in the area. The submitter of the name continues to share, “as a body of flowing water, a creek symbolizes the connection from past to present, always moving towards a better future.”

Jeff Johnson, principal of Oak Creek PS, shares his excitement for the many learning opportunities this name brings to its students, staff and surrounding community. 

“I am very excited to welcome our new students, families, staff, and community partners to our beautiful new facility in September,” said Johnson. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to open Oak Creek PS and to begin building partnerships with the wider school community.”

Planning for Oak Creek PS began in January 2018, when then Education Minister, Mitzie Hunter, announced the $16 million funding for the new school.

“I am hopeful that staff and students at Oak Creek PS will have the opportunity to engage in authentic and experiential outdoor learning experiences for many years to come,” Johnson reflects. “I look forward to engaging in this learning alongside them as we begin to build our school’s legacy together.”