By Curtis Galbraith

Education

More students in PWPSD, hopes for new PWA project to gain traction

Oct 4, 2024 | 6:00 AM

Enrollments are bit higher than anticipated in the Peace Wapiti Public School Division.

Assistant Superintendent Darren Young says they were predicting an increase of 39 students. Instead, the increase will end up between 60 and 70.

He adds there is no particular reason for the increase.

“We did do a boundary change with Whispering Ridge and Harry Balfour Schools. We did see a bigger than anticipated enrollment increase in the new Harry Balfour School by Five Mile Hall. That contributed to it.”

“We also saw an increase in enrollment at Beaverlodge Regional High School and Spirit River Regional Academy.”

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

Young says it is encouraging to see enrollments holding steady at rural schools. He adds it is always nice to see some rural schools gain a student or two.

He says the only school with space concerns is Peace Wapiti Academy.

“We’re expecting that utilization to be between 95 and 97 per cent. A school is deemed full when it reaches 85 per cent utilization, so we’re well above that at Peace Wapiti Academy.”

“Hopefully, that project gets moved along in the province’s School (Construction) Accelerator Program that they recently released.”

Premier Danielle Smith recently announced the budget for new school construction was being increased to $8.6 billion over three years.

Young says there are four stages for building a school; pre-planning, planning, design and construction. A new PWA is in the planning stage.

“We’ve been working behind the scenes to make sure that we have serviced land available to build a school on, which we do have, in great part thanks to the County of Grande Prairie.”

“We also are doing some preliminary work on what would be considered a pre-schematic design of what the site might look like and what kind specialty programming might be offered in the new high school once it moves to the next level.”

The plan is to build a new Peace Wapiti Academy on land located west of Whispering Ridge School.

Young says the province still has approve a new PWA going to the design and construction phases, but they are “very hopeful, with this new program the province has announced and with the readiness of that site for a building that it will progress very quickly now.”

He says it is too soon to attach any dates or time lines to this project.