Students and staff at Valleyview Secondary School will move into the new east wing when they return to class after Spring Break on April 4.
The Kamloops-Thompson School District says with staff and students away, maintenance staff will be using the time to move fixtures and other materials into the now completed classrooms in the new wing.
As part of the move, the twelve portables currently on site will also be removed to allow the last bit of construction to go ahead.
In a statement, Valleyview Principal Barb Hamblett says while moving things over to the new wing is a “logistical challenge”, she is confident that doing so now will reduce the disruption later on in the year.
“Making the most of the addition is not as simple as having teachers trade their space in a portable classroom for space in the east wing,” she said. “With the addition of 20 new classrooms, school administration has the opportunity to improve the school’s functionality and to create school zones for humanities, science, and fine art.”
Staff at the school at Valleyview Secondary were given a brief tour of the east wing on March 17, offering them a glimpse into the spaces they will be occupying as of next month.
“You can’t help feeling a depth of gratitude to the Secwepemc people as all of us stood in the concourse flooded with the natural light,” Hamblett said at the time.
“For me as a principal, the east wing became real when I heard the bells ring in there for the first time on our tour. I could easily see the hallways filled with kids and staff in my mind.”
At the March 14 school board meeting, SD73 Vice-Chair Meghan Wade noted the nearly completed project was “one of the most powerful things” to have happened during her four terms in office.
“March 8 was a big day. Just to walk through those doors was the culmination of a five-year journey. There really are no adequate words to properly reflect the impact of walking through those main doors,” she said, according to statement released by the district.
“I am here to tell you that it is gorgeous. It is well lit. It has windows. It [fulfills] every expectation that this board and the previous board that began advocating for this addition had for this space. Every single one of your expectations and more.”
The district says about 80 staff and 960 students currently make up Valleyview Secondary, which was only ever designed for 675 students. This new addition will add 525 seats, bringing the total capacity of the school to 1,200 students. It will also eliminate the need for portables.
“Once the portables are out of the way, we can finish all the improvements to the grounds,” Director of Facilities, Art McDonald, said, noting the project is on budget and still on schedule for a Sept. 2022 opening.
While the classrooms are ready, SD73 spokesperson Diana Skoglund told NL News work on some of the “interiors of some specialty spaces” like some labs and the gym is still ongoing.
Construction on the $34.5-million addition to Valleyview Secondary got underway in Sept. 2020. The project was officially announced in April 2019 by then B.C. Education Minster, Rob Fleming.
“Our government is working hard to give every B.C. student the best learning experience possible,” Fleming said at the time. “Valleyview students will have a more enjoyable and engaging experience at school.”
The province is spending $32.7 million on the expansion project, while SD73 is contributing the other $1.75 million.
And Skoglund noted the district will be holding a media event on April 4, when kids are back in class, to show off the new wing of the school to the public.