Goodbye Gators, D.A. Gorden to Close

With the new school year only a few weeks away, it marks the final school year for D.A. Gordon Public School in Wallaceburg. Built in 1922, D.A. Gordon has a long history of elementary school athletics, serving as a place for youth in Wallaceburg to get their first opportunity to play organized sport.

“Participating in sports at D.A. Gordon was my first experience with organized sports, and acted as a spring board for my involvement with athletics at WDSS,” says Aaron Hall, who was a student, and played sports for the D.A. Gordon Gators in the 1990s.

“Thinking back to my time as a D.A. Gordon Gator it is easy to see how much of an impact belonging to my school team had on me,” says Jen Parrish, another former student of D.A. Gordon. “It was there that I was provided with my first opportunity to play organized sports.”

The school, which was in need of an estimated $5 million in upgrades over the coming years according to the Lambton-Kent District School Board, will close at the end of June 2014. Younger students will be reassigned to Wallaceburg’s remaining public schools, H.W. Burgess and A.A. Wright, while grade 7 and 8 students will move to Wallaceburg District Secondary School.

D.A. Gordon offered a variety of sports including basketball, soccer, volleyball, track and field, and cross country over the past decades, opening doors for local youth to enter organized athletics, and experience team sports.

“I have nothing but fond memories from my days as a Gator,” says Hall. “I met most of my best friends during my sporting days at D.A. and really learned the concept of teamwork during that time. They’re memories, experiences and lessons I still carry with me today both personally and professionally.”

“I remember being so proud to wear our school jersey, and work alongside my teammates to achieve our best. We strived to represent our school as a revered competitor in hopes of adding another banner to the walls of our gymnasium,” said Parrish, who also praised the many coaches and teachers at D.A. Gordon who worked to provide opportunities for youth to participate in extracurricular sports.

“We were one big family, mascot included,” added Parrish about the D.A. Gordon Gators. “I have some wonderful memories and experiences that shaped who I am as an athlete and person, I know many of us do, and I am grateful to have been part of the Gator legacy.”