The gym at Humboldt Public School is dim and dreary. The lights give off a glow that's more dull yellow than bright white. The whole place just feels worn out, a relic from decades gone by.
Off in the corner, though, there's something different. It's a door that leads to the school's new wing, under construction since last summer and set to open on Nov. 18. Walking through that door is like hopping down Alice's rabbit hole - on the other side, there's a whole new world.
Dark hallways give way to bright corridors flanked by pristine rooms full of modern equipment. A gently curving bank of windows in the new library gives a panoramic view of a field and welcomes natural light.
There's a new gym, too - well, partly new.
"The floor and scoreboard are from the old high school," said principal Dave Hill, playing the role of tour guide. Along with vice-principal Darlene Popoff, Hill was pointing out every feature to Horizon School Division communications manager Ken Sogge.
"They even put the Panthers logo on the floor," Hill said, pointing down at the school's insignia, placed on a fresh patch of floor.
Down the hall from the gym are three new classrooms that will house Grade 6, 7 and 8 students. Eventually those will be the only grades housed full-time in the new wing, with emphasis on "eventually".
The new wing is opening on Nov. 18, but that's not the end of the renovations. The existing school will be getting its own facelift. The original three-story 1913 schoolhouse will be demolished, leaving behind the new wing and an expansion that was added to the original building back in the 1970s. The current library will be converted into a public daycare with space for around 50 kids, from infants to five-year-olds.
Those renovations won't be done until next September, meaning all the students will have to move into the new wing for the rest of this school year. It's a temporary situation that's posing its own set of problems. Science labs will masquerade as classrooms and there won't be enough lockers for everyone this year, among other things.
"We're still trying to figure it all out, but there will be some logistical problems," Hill said.
Still, it's hard for Hill and his students not to be excited about all the new additions. The music room has acoustic tiles on the walls for soundproofing; the new stage has a state-of-the-art sound and light system; the new computer lab has enough computers for every student, even in the biggest classes.
There is an industrial arts classroom that has a large tool rack and four heavy-duty electrical outlets hanging from the ceiling. Next door is the home ec room, complete with a stovetop and with a washer and dryer and refrigerators to come.
Until now, students learned how to use a band saw or bake a cake at HCI - the public school didn't have the necessary equipment.
Adjusting to all of the new possibilities has taken some getting used to, even for the principal.
"When I teach Grade 8 science I always start with a unit on cells," Hill said as he stood in the new science lab. "I'm setting up microscopes and doing all this stuff when I realize there's a new lab waiting for me." He stopped and laughed. "So I moved the cell unit to later in the year."
Back in the older part of the school, standing at the edge of the soon-to-be-destroyed 1913 building, Hill admits that not everyone is happy about the upcoming demolition, including himself.
"I've been teaching here for 30 years," he said. "There are a lot of cherished memories here." He nodded in the direction of the new wing. "But when you see what's over there, it changes your mind a little bit."
