PENHOLD - Students and staff at the town's space-challenged schools will be able to work in less congested quarters in the next school year.
Alberta Education has approved a request from Chinook's Edge School Division to fund four relocatable (portable) classrooms for Jessie Duncan Elementary School, one of Penhold's three public schools that have faced increasingly overcrowded conditions in recent years as the town continues its steady growth.
The news of the province's funding approval was told to the school division's board of trustees at its monthly meeting on Feb. 1.
"This is exciting news for all three of our schools in Penhold. Of course, the addition is taking place at Jessie Duncan Elementary School, but it will relieve growth pressures at all Chinook's Edge schools in Penhold that staff have been working through so professionally," said Sherry Cooper, Chinook's Edge School Division trustee for Penhold, through an email. "This Alberta government announcement will impact the whole area of Penhold and definitely the families in our schools."
In his presentation to trustees, Shawn Russell, associate superintendent of corporate services, said the four new classrooms, which will include washroom facilities, would give Jessie Duncan, which now has about 180 pre-kindergarten to Grade 1 students, the ability to add Grade 2 students.
This will take the pressure off Penhold Elementary School, which now serves 275 students from grades 2 to 5. In September, the school will become a grades 3 to 5 institution.
Penhold Crossing Secondary School will remain a grades 6 to 12 learning institution, at least until the school division can secure an additional four relocatable classrooms as was requested this year to the province.
"We were actually getting to the point where the numbers were not manageable. This was needed and is great news for the community," said Russell, adding if the school division can get more provincial funding down the road the plan is to bring back Grade 3 to Jessie Duncan and move Grade 6 students from Penhold Crossing to Penhold Elementary. "We still have some pressures there that we will try to continue to address as the growth continues in the town."
Russell said the province is expected to contribute up to $600,000 for the construction of the four new relocatable classrooms at Jessie Duncan. The new classrooms will be added onto an extended hallway - a permanent attachment called a "connector" that is intended for students and staff to feel they are part of the school. The cost to the school board for the connector will be between $50,000 and $100,000, said Russell, adding tenders will be going out as soon as possible for the construction work.
Kurt Sacher, the school division's superintendent of schools, emphasized the new relocatable classrooms of today are "incredible" in the quality, adding the division is happy with the recent modular classrooms built for the division in Sylvan Lake.
"The old picture of what a portable looks like is not happening," said Sacher. "Our biggest concern is making sure we have enough appropriate learning spaces for students in the whole Penhold community."
Sherry Cooper, Chinook's Edge School Division trustee for Penhold
"Of course, the addition is taking place at Jessie Duncan Elementary School, but it will relieve growth pressures at all Chinook's Edge schools in Penhold that staff have been working through so professionally."
