The Hornby Island Educational Society (HIES) is a non-profit organization with charitable tax status that was incorporated as a registered BC Society in June 1980. It is run by a Board of Directors formed of community volunteers and three ex-officio school staff. From 1993 to 2008 HIES employed a full time Coordinator to manage its many programs and services. Due to core funding cutbacks from School District 71, the Coordinator position has been eliminated. Since 2008, the Society has employed a part-time Executive Director and individual program Coordinators and staff.

1980

• The Room to Grow building is built by the community using donated materials, labour and fundraising.
• Hornby Island Educational Society formed to hold the Room to Grow building as an asset for the community,
• The Parent Advisory Council Executive became the Hornby Island Educational Society Executive.
• The School Board leased the Room to Grow building as a classroom until the new addition to the Hornby School was built.

The Hornby Island Educational Society/PAC held the lease income in GIC’s to be used for maintaining the building or moving it if ever necessary.

The School obtains Community School status in 1992!

1992
The HIES/PAC executive & a group of community parents worked together to apply for Community School status for the Hornby Island Elementary School –  primarily to increase community access to the school building for community programming.

August 1993
The Comox Valley Schools District officially designated the Hornby Island Elementary School as a Community School.

September 1993
The HIES/PAC Executive hire April Lewis as the interim coordinator with the task of securing funding for a full time staff position.

December 1993
HIES receives a $25,000 Stay in Schools grant from Human Resources Development Canada, to support students who were at risk of not graduating. An additional $15,000 Employment Needs grant was also secured, to identify barriers to employment in the island community and to foster a community skills & mentor base.

1994
The Hornby Island Community School became a member of the Association for Community Education in BC (ACEbc), a B.C. organization that supports the development of new community schools and the improvement of existing community schools.

The Hornby Island Community School receives $75,000 from the Ministry of Education – specifically applied to Community Schools – to create and manage programs & services for the island’s youth, families and community at large. The School District supports HIES by jointly employing a Community Programs Coordinator.

The School Board stipulates that a Community School Committee must be formed to oversee the programs and services that are offered through HIES/PAC: a representative from the teacher’s union (CDTA), the school support staff union (CUPE) and the School Administrator must sit on this committee in order to ensure that their interests are represented.

1994 to 2003
HIES continues to receive $75,000 annually from the Social Equity budget of School District 71 to coordinate and operate its programs and services.

2000
The Executive of HIES/PAC raises concerns about being responsible for such a large budget and the two entities agree to separate.  The PAC to be a regular Parent Advisory Council with it’s own board executive, and the HIES Board of Directors to oversee the many community programs that have been created under its Community School focus and to manage all the assets of the Society.

2004
HIES lobbies School District 71 extensively to maintain funding and establish that Hornby youth – as residents of a small island community – in regards to access to education support, after-school and school enrichment opportunities, school recreation resources, and that island youth do meet the criteria for “youth at risk” as laid out in the Social Equity budget guidelines.  Their efforts are successful and HIES receives $46,000 from the Social Equity budget of School District 71 in order to continue to offer programs & services for the island school age children and youth.

Hornby Island Community School Classroom.

2009

The Board responds to the direction of the Community and under its Community Programs aspect, initiates, facilitates, coordinates and sustains programs in a variety of areas that meet community needs. As of this point, the Community Programs aspect of HIES operates with many local partners and links with off-island agencies as well to provide as complete a service as possible. The HIES board also manages the buildings that it owns, including: Room to Grow, the Teen Trailer and The Kitchen building.  As a community service, HIES also manages the Hornby Island Community Fund, the Bruce Fairbairn Memorial Bursary, the Hornby Island Memorial Scholarship, the Seabreeze/Bishop Family Scholarship, and partners with the Denman Community School and Denman Church to manage the Denman Island United Church Memorial Fund.

Since the primary mandate of HIES is to provide services and programs that are accessible to all who wish to participate, subsidies to all HIES programs & services are available to all who request them. Funding for the various programs and services comes from user fees, fundraising, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Children and Family Development, Hornby Island Recreation tax dollars and the Gaming Commission. Other program and/or project specific grants are obtained whenever possible.

2010
HIES receives Literacy 2010 funding. This allows HIES to hire a Literacy Outreach Coordinator to provide individual support for life-long-learning and to reinstate the Adult Community Education program with a focus on Essential Skills.

2018
A fire destroys the Hornby Island Community School!  HIES creates a “School Renewal Fund” for the local community, to collect donations from local businesses, organizations & amounts large and small donated from community members.

2020
HIES creates an Adult Literacy Outreach program.

2021
The brand new Hornby Island Community School opens it’s doors to our community children & youth!