Students at the Sturgis Elementary School will be relocating to the Sturgis Composite High School in the fall of 2017.
At a public meeting hosted by the School Community Council and the Good Spirit School Division on June 20, the proposed decision to consulate the two schools was announced.
The School Community Council and division representatives met after the public meeting and made the decision to move forward with the project.
Teresa Korol (facilities manager), Mark Forsythe (Superintendent of Education) and Quintin Robertson (acting director), who are all Good Spirit School Division representatives, were on hand to address the community’s and parents’ questions considering the merger of the two schools.
“The Good Spirit School Division brought the proposal of the consolation of the two schools to the School Community Council a few weeks ago and met with a very positive response,” said Teresa Korol. “We had obtained some extra funding that will allow us to make the upgrades to the high school.
“The project is budgeted at $850,000 and will see renovations to the upstairs of the building, including new windows, ventilation upgrades, lighting, painting, new flooring and lockers,” Korol said. “The south wing of the school will be the first stage of the project. It is the proposed part of the school that will be utilized by the elementary students.
“The need came across after some studies revealed that the high school was under-utilized by 70 per cent,” she said. “The combined Kindergarten to Grade 12 school has numerous advantages. The shared resources will focus on improving students’ learning process with more programs made available.
“The combined increase in accessibility of resources and less stress to administration are a huge asset. The combined school will have a projected enrolment of 160 students with room for growth,” said Korol.
The board will still have to approve the project and the earliest it will do so is the first meeting in August, it was said. The school will undergo a transformation throughout the school year with a projected date of completion for the 2017 academic school year.
The playground equipment from the elementary school that can be moved over will be utilized with any new equipment being the responsibility of the School Community Council and community.
The Good Spirit School Division will be looking at its options concerning the elementary school building once the move is completed.
The Composite High School is also slated for some summer renovations to the entrance, showers in the gymnasium and to the air conditioning system to the computer lab. Renovations are scheduled to be completed for the 2016-2017 school year. The cost was budgeted through the operating budget and is not included in the projected budget for the major renovations.
