Langley names its new high school and middle school

The Langley school board has named two Willoughby-area schools Emery Dosdall Secondary and stɑtl̓əw̓ Middle School; both are expected to open in fall 2027 and together will accommodate about 2,800 students.

The Langley school board has announced official names for two new schools under construction in the Willoughby area. The high school will be named Emery Dosdall Secondary and the middle school will be named stɑtl̓əw̓ Middle School. Both schools are scheduled to open in the fall of 2027. The naming choices reflect both a recognition of a longtime district leader and an acknowledgement of local Indigenous language and history. Key details: - Emery Dosdall Secondary is named for Emery Dosdall, a longtime Langley School District superintendent who later served as deputy education minister for British Columbia; Dosdall died in 2020 at age 77. - Dosdall began his career as a teacher in Edmonton, served as Langley superintendent through much of the 1980s and early 1990s, and later returned to Alberta to lead the Edmonton Public School Board before joining B.C. government service in 2001. - stɑtl̓əw̓ Middle School takes its name from a word in the local hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language meaning "little river" or "little creek," and is pronounced "stot-low." The district says the word appears in local Indigenous creation stories as a waterway linked to the salmon people. - Board of Education Chair Candy Ashdown and Superintendent Mal Gill commented that the names honour Dosdall's legacy and align with the district's mission; the district's Aboriginal Education department has been teaching some hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ words to students. Summary: The new names recognize both a former district leader and the local Indigenous language, and are presented by the district as steps toward acknowledging local history and relationships with First Nations. Both schools are expected to open in fall 2027; further operational details were not specified in the announcement.