New School Opening Delayed
Progress photo of the new school building as of October 2023 | Photo Credit: Katja Radovic-Jonsson
Though the new school is on track to be completed February 2024, students and teachers will no longer move into the new building at the beginning of second semester. The big move will be delayed until the 2024-2025 school year, according to a recent parent newsletter and message to staff.
The new school was originally supposed to be finished by September 2023, and the move into the new school was expected to be that same month. But earlier this year, the completion and move-in times were delayed to February 2024.
“I understand there’s a variety of process pieces that need to happen at that standpoint [after construction is complete] just before we start moving into the new school,” said Ms. M. Jensen (Administration). She remarked that, after its completion, the school still needed to pass inspections and receive permits.
But Ms. Jensen is eagerly looking forward to the completion of the new school. “With the timeline, it’s been a number of circumstances, but to have the new school substantially completed in or around February is significant. We’re very excited about it,” she said.
Right now, the west side of the school is mostly finished. Ms. Jensen was pleased say that the interior of the gym is now visible from Oak Street and suggested that students check for themselves.
But the east side of the school, which has many art classrooms, is still being built. “[Construction workers are] putting the finishing touches on the visual arts classrooms and all of the music classrooms. I saw the auditorium taking shape.”
Ms. Jensen hopes that the Hamber community can move into the new school right at the beginning of the next school year. “While we’re finishing off the school year in this physical plant, we’ll be talking about what that transition is going to look like ahead of whatever the first day of school is for next September,” she explained. “We’ll need to, or else that’s too much information for students and staff to process.”
The company currently working on the construction of the new school is KMBR Architects and Planners. According to their website, the Hamber community will be moving to a “new, modern, four-storey school building”.
The new school will include “37 general instruction classrooms, ten science classrooms, various learning spaces, a library, administrative offices, a multi-purpose room, a large common space, technology education shops, a 350-seat auditorium, three music rooms, and two connected gymnasiums (one double gym plus single practice gym) with changing and storage rooms, dance studio, weight room and health & fitness lab.” The building will have a maximum capacity of 1,700 students and 120 staff members.
The new school will additionally be used as a childcare facility “serving four age groups located on the roof of the school, with separate access from the rest of the school, and an outdoor rooftop play area.” This facility will have a maximum capacity of 69 children.
Students and teachers have long been anticipating the move. Since the provincial government announced the construction in 2018, the Hamber community has been keenly aware of the progress of the new building. Come September 2024, Hamberites may no longer be looking at the new school from the outside in.