Plans for a new high school in Penhold may be expanding to include a partnership with Red Deer College pending further discussion between the college, the Town of Penhold, and Chinook's Edge School Division (CESD).
CESD announced last October that the next school built in Ward 2, (which includes Penhold, Poplar Ridge, and River Glen), would be built in Penhold.
Representatives from CESD and the Town of Penhold met last month to discuss the possibility of a partnership between the two organizations, which would allow the new school to be attached to the Penhold Regional Multiplex.
While all future plans are pending on a financial commitment of around $20 million by the Government of Alberta, the school division is working on being proactive for if, and when, that commitment is made, said CESD superintendent Kurt Sacher.
"Right now we are trying to explore all of the opportunities for possible partnerships," said Sacher.
"I have spoke briefly with the head of Red Deer College and we will be meeting in April to discuss this further."
Sacher said CESD is also planning to meet with Red Deer County officials to discuss the municipality's possible involvement in the project.
Although talks regarding the new school are preliminary, the school division is open to discussing new partnerships and encourages any interested parties to contact his office at the school division.
After touring the new Multiplex with Ward 2 Trustee Sherry Cooper and Penhold Mayor Dennis Cooper, Sacher said that having a school attached to the facility could provide a lot of great opportunities for students
During the meeting the town representatives had the chance to speak about what they would like to see the facility used for said Dennis.
"The ideal thing would be to allow students a great learning experience and work on athletics as well as academics," said Dennis.
"I would also love to see us work with Red Deer College to possibly give students the opportunity to start college courses in the high school and then move on to the college."
Currently there has been no announcement of financial commitment by the Alberta government so the actual construction of the new school could still be a few years down the road, said Sacher.
