# School District 79 Cowichan Valley

The Cowichan Valley School District, is located in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It consists of numerous elementary (Kindergarten-Grade 6 or 7), middle (Grade 6–9), Secondary (Grade 8–12) schools, and alternative schools for programs like adult education.
The current Superintendent of the Cowichan Valley School District is Tim Davie.

## History

The current school district can trace its heritage to the Colony of Vancouver Island. Two school districts were established in the area prior to the colony joining mainland British Columbia.
South Cowichan School District was established on June 16, 1869. North Cowichan School District was established a year later on June 16, 1870.
The current School District 79 was formed in 1996 when School District 65 (Cowichan) was combined with School District 66 (Lake Cowichan).
A French Immersion program was established in October 1997, for the 1998–1999 school year. It has grown strong roots and continues to get bigger each year
On July 1, 2012, after refusing to send a balanced budget to the Ministry of Education in British Columbia by June 30, the elected Board of Trustees was dismissed. Current Official Trustee Michael McKay was instated and balanced the budget.
Reconfiguration of the Cowichan Valley school district has been set to commence in the 2013–2014 school year. This marks the change from a middle school model (kindergarten-grade 6, grades 7–9, grades 10–12) to an elementary school system from kindergarten-grade 7 and a secondary school system from grades 8–12. Much deliberation and community input was utilized to implement this new school system.

## Schools

Elementary/Middle Schools :
| School | Location | Grades | Principal |
| École Mount Prevost Elementary | Duncan | K-7 | Madelin Rocheleau |
| Alex Aitken Elementary School | Duncan | K-7 | Mike Martin |
| Alexander Elementary School | Duncan | K-7 | Ann Kissinger |
| Bench Elementary School | Cowichan Bay | K-7 | Kyla Bridge |
| Chemainus Community School | Chemainus | K-7 | Ixchel Bradley |
| École Cobble Hill Elementary | Cobble Hill | K-7 | Ian Zibin |
| Crofton Elementary School | Crofton | K-7 | Jennifer Merrett |
| Discovery Elementary School | Shawnigan Lake | K-7 | Dani Morrow |
| Drinkwater Elementary School | Duncan | K-7 | Brenda Stevenson |
| Khowhemun Elementary School | Duncan | K-7 | Jennifer Calverley |
| George Bonner Elementary School | Mill Bay | K-7 | Updesh Cheema |
| Maple Bay Elementary School | Maple Bay | K-7 | Nicole Davey |
| Palsson Elementary School | Lake Cowichan | K-5 | Fiona Somerville |
| Mill Bay Nature School | Mill Bay | K-3 | Alison Leslie |
| Tansor Elementary School | Duncan | K-7 | Brent Ranger |
| Thetis Island Elementary School | Chemainus | K-6 | Ixchel Bradley |
Secondary Schools :
| School | Location | Grades | Principal |
| Chemainus Secondary School | Chemainus | 7-12 | Jaime Doyle |
| Quw'utsun Secondary School | Duncan | 10-12 | Darcy Hoff and Scott Jackson |
| Cowichan Valley Open Learning (CVOLC) | Duncan | 6-12 | Venessa MacDowell |
| Frances Kelsey Secondary School | Mill Bay | 8-12 | Kevin van der Linden |
| Lake Cowichan School | Lake Cowichan | 4-12 | Jennie Hittinger |
| Quamichan School | Duncan | 8-9 | Claire Whitney |
| Distributed Learning SD79 (The Grove) | Duncan | 10-12 | Venessa MacDowell |