Vote passed to close Chinook Center School

INNISFAIL - After more than 14 years of planning the Chinook Center School will finally close on June 30.

Following an extensive consultation process with staff and parents from both Chinook Center and …cole John Wilson Elementary schools, the board of trustees for the Chinook's Edge School Division unanimously voted in favour on Feb. 1 to close the school at the end of the school year.

The school's 88 kindergarten to Grade 4 students, along with Chinook Center's current five teachers, two admin support staff and six educational assistants, will resume their education and careers at John Wilson for the new school year in September.

Created in 1996 to alleviate overcrowding at John Wilson school, Chinook Center School was deemed expendable now that the multi-million dollar modernization project at the Innisfail Schools Campus is nearly complete and there will be room to accommodate the students.

"Although there are mixed emotions when a school closes, of course, we are excited about bringing the Innisfail campus together," said Holly Bilton, the board's Innisfail trustee, who has been engaging parents through the consultation process. "This blends the best of Chinook Center School with the fabulous learning and culture underway at …cole John Wilson Elementary School. We are confident that students, families and staff will be pleased with the great opportunities this creates for everyone."

Before voting on the motion to close the school, trustees were given an extensive presentation of the lengthy closure process by Shawn Russell, associate superintendent of corporate services.

He told trustees the original intent was to close Chinook Center School once construction was completed in 2003 for the new Innisfail Middle School. However, at about the same time Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools was looking to open a school in Innisfail. It was soon decided to ask the Chinook's Edge School Division to lease out space from John Wilson for the new Catholic school, which resulted in maintaining the Chinook Center School longer than planned, trustees were told.

Russell then told trustees that in 2006 the first discussions took place with the province for what ultimately turned out to be the multi-million dollar modernization project. He said it was determined that once the modernization was complete Chinook Center School would close and its students be transferred to John Wilson.

"We didn't think it would take this long. Things happen, construction, announcements, delays and all those types of things that has gotten us to this point in time," said Russell, adding the school division will see an annual savings of up to $300,000 with the closure of Chinook Center School. "That is the only unfortunate part of this. It has taken so long to get from those initial plans and announcements to where we are now (and) a lot of parents and staff who were involved in those initial discussions have moved on."

In the meantime, trustees were told Chinook Center students would become fully part of John Wilson, including its staff, student body, celebrations and curriculum. However, there was passionate discussion about whether Chinook Center School's unique and highly praised team teaching model in an "open environment" would be retained at John Wilson.

"Because the board made its decision in February it gives us many months to plan very carefully for an appropriate smooth transition so students don't miss a beat, the learning environments are preserved, the staff move over with the kids, and we are going to do everything we can to sustain as many pieces of the positive learning environment in the transition," said Kurt Sacher, the school division's superintendent of schools. "At the same time we've got John Wilson parents and it's natural to wonder how (this) will affect their school when roughly 100 students and their staff move over and join the team.

"So we have an obligation to them to ensure their students receive a continued positive education, and we honestly have no doubt in our minds that the two programs will learn from each other and evolve into a John Wilson that is even stronger than it already is," he added.

Russell told trustees the playground equipment at Chinook Center School, which was installed in 2010, would be moved over to John Wilson. He said the school division has not yet decided what the future use of the soon to be closed school building will be, but it won't be considered a surplus asset and sold off. However, he said it is possible the Instructional Materials Centre, currently housed in Bowden, may be relocated to the site.