A small group of parents and children got a glimpse into final plans for an updated Innisfail learning campus during an information meeting Feb. 12 hosted by the public school board, before construction begins this month.
Chinook's Edge is creating a network of connected buildings complete with a new bus loop, with renovations to be mostly done by the start of the 2012 school year.
The gym, which can hold two regulation basketball games simultaneously, will be finished around the start of 2013.
ìThe exciting part is we're going to actually see some construction start pretty soon,î said Shawn Russell, associate superintendent of Chinook's Edge. ìWe're about a year away from completion.î
He said the ìcampus approachî to a linked K-12 environment will enhance the variety of programs the school board can offer.
ìIt allows us for more efficient use,î he said.
The project has been tendered and a contractor will be selected imminently, he said.
Modernization and new construction will turn the south wing of Ecole Innisfail Jr./Sr. High School into part of Ecole Innisfail Middle School. Rooms next to the new gym in the high school will get a facelift. A new entrance and boot room for Ecole John Wilson Elementary will be built over the summer, around the same time the middle school and elementary school libraries are combined and relocated.
A connector will be developed between Ecole Innisfail Middle School and Ecole John Wilson Elementary School.
Grade 8, which is currently housed in the high school, will be brought back with the rest of the middle school, although students will retain some privileges of high school life.
Christine Jensen, whose children are in Grade 5 and Grade 8, attended the information session and said she thinks this will give the youth an extra year of maturity before moving on to high school.
ìI think this is a fantastic decision,î she said, adding she's glad the school considered the rest of the town and county in its planning for the new gym.
ìI think it's going to be beneficial, especially if the community get to use the facilities,î she said.
Jensen said she also likes the talk of holding large anti-bullying assemblies and other events.
ìThis school needs a bit of modernization,î she said.
Roxanne Arthur attended the meeting along with her two children to find out what's ahead for education in Innisfail.
ìWe learned about changes to the bus loop that will make it safer,î she said, ìand changes to the gym.î
Connecting the schools is meant to bring a more collaborative learning environment, she explained.
ìIt looks like the schools will be working together more,î she said.
Her 12-year-old daughter Jillian is currently in Grade 7 at Ecole Innisfail Middle School. She's not as thrilled this will not be her last year before moving on to Ecole Innisfail Jr./Sr. High School.
ìI was looking forward to being in high school,î she said. ìBut this way I can get used to it before completely getting into it.î
She's glad the Grade 8s will still have access to the cafeteria, some of the teachers, the home economics and the shop classes.
ìGrade 8s are moving down to the middle school,î she said. ìThe Grade 8s are going to be halfway into high school.î
Jillian, who loves playing basketball, also can't wait for the new gym.
ìI'm really excited for how large it's going to be,î she said. ìI like the fact they can have two games at one.î
Wayne Pineau, principal of Ecole Innisfail Jr./Sr. High School, said the modernization project will add a ìfreshî atmosphere to the public school campus.
ìThis has been one of the most exciting things that I've been involved with,î he said. ìWe'll be able to fit twice as many kids in the gym.
ìIt'll be a better environment.î
The shift will help accommodate a non-semester and semester system under one roof, he said.
ìThey'll have one more year to mature,î he said. ìHigh school is often viewed as a really different place. We're trying to change that.î
Brand new sports and audiovisual equipment will give a boost to capabilities of local schools and help the athletic program, he added.
ìWe want to build Cyclone pride,î he said. ìThis facility will provide that.î
The new facilities will allow local schools to bid on provincial basketball or volleyball tournaments.
ìThat would be a good economic impact for the town,î he said.
Pineau also said a new bus loop will increase safety for students.
ìRight now we have lots of buses and parents jockeying for positions,î he said. ìWe have close calls every day.î
"I was looking forward to being in high school. But this way I can get used to it before completely getting into it."Jillian ArthurGrade 7 student
