A familiar sight will greet students when they enter the new high school for the first time sometime this fall. Yes, Brenda Diebert’s desk is already laid out and it’s located metres from the school’s main entrance, just off to the right.
To the left is the school gym and the next thing students will notice is the large, bright multi-purpose room, with windows stretching to the ceiling, a large patio outside and a kitchen area to the side.
The new school is due to be completed by Nov. 30. – that’s the date set in the school district’s contract with Graham Construction, though Earl Woodhurt, the district principal for operations and technology was hesitant to set an exact move-in date.
Contractors are still hard at work. During a tour given to school trustees and members of the media, they were hauling cabinets, painting walls, installing lights and more. The auto shop room was filled with doors waiting to be installed.
The new high school feels very spacious but is actually smaller than the old building (not including the community theatre). That’s because of the way the space has been used – everything is purpose built, the windows are large, the classrooms are bright and airy and the ceilings are higher.
Even without direct sunlight, many of the rooms were bright enough without any lights on. And, if it does get too dark, the lights work on sensors so they’ll turn on when needed. If only half the room is dark, only those lights will be activated, said Woodhurst.
The rooms feature special radiant panels for heating and cooling and air is circulated through special columns. The classrooms also feature sound dampening panels along the walls to keep things quiet.
“Kids can hear and teachers don’t have to yell over the HVAC,” said Woodhurst.
Even the bathrooms look good, with rows of colourful tiles breaking up the monotonous white.
“Everything is just amazing,” said school trustee AnnieWilson following the tour.
Don't believe her? Have a look at the photos in the slideshow above.