Source: Sikh News Network
http://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/news.nsf/NewsArchive/844679D90EACFDC98725725100685D2B!OpenDocument
At the age of 11, Ontario's only Sikh school is getting ready for a growth spurt. The Khalsa Community School in Mississaugahas acquired five hectares of land in Brampton and is drawing up plans to extend its program through high school.
There is excitement among staff and students about the project, but 11-year-old Herleen Gill sits alone, sullen.
A Grade 7 pupil, she's flipping through a brochure. "It's not fair," she fumes. "This will take a few years but I have to go to a [public] high school soon."
Herleen, 11, has been going to the school since kindergarten and it's a family away from home. She says she's afraid to go to a public school.
Her predicament points to a debate in the community about the Khalsa School and the balance between isolation and preservation of culture.
The school offers a means of holding on to tradition, yet some believe this leads to isolation for pupils.