Construction has started on the Okanagan’s newest school, H.S. Grenda Middle School in Lake Country.
The school, which will cost $40.4 million and house 600 students, is being touted by the provincial government as a modern building that will promote 21st-century learning.
The school is being built on land south of George Elliot Secondary School and is expected to be ready for students in September 2021.
“Students and families in Lake Country have been waiting years for this school, and it’s so exciting to see it moving forward,” Rob Fleming, B.C.’s minister of education, said in a press release on Friday.
“Our government took quick action on this investment, so more students can have a better place to go to school.”
CHP Architects will construct the school. On its website, the company said the school “has been strategically positioned on the site to capture the most natural daylight while keeping the front facade as a key feature to the design.”
It added that the overall design will “encourage the future arrangement of teaching and learning for many years to come.”
The new school will include a neighbourhood learning centre that Central Okanagan Public Schools intends to use for child care.
“Parents throughout the province, and especially in rural areas, have struggled to find quality affordable child care for too long,” said Katrine Conroy, minister of children and family development.
“By partnering with school districts, we can create new quality child care spaces more quickly and bring child care closer to home for Lake Country families.”
The provincial government said it is providing $35.1 million in funding, with the Central Okanagan Board of Education providing $5.3 million.
“We are very excited that work is underway on a new middle school to serve the growing community of Lake Country,” said Moyra Baxter, chair of Central Okanagan Public Schools Board of Education.
“H.S. Grenda Middle School will serve our students well by supporting grade reconfiguration in the area and providing an innovative learning environment.”