Construction underway for school in South Pointe

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This article was published 12/05/2015 (4041 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ground has officially been broken for the first new school in 17 years for the Pembina Trails School Division.

The ceremonial groundbreaking was held May 5 at 615 Kirkbridge Dr. in South Pointe where a new dual-track French-immersion kindergarten to Grade 8 school will be built.

The facility, which is expected to open in September 2016, has enough space to accommodate 800 students and will relieve pressure on neighbouring Bonnycastle School and Arthur A. Leach Middle School in Richmond West.

“We’ve built over 35 new schools in Manitoba. This one responds to a growing community with young families in the neighbourhood,” Premier Greg Selinger said following the groundbreaking.

“People have wanted (the school) for a long time and the planning has been going on,” Selinger said. “The school division has done a very good job planning with community consultations and once they were ready to go, we were ready to go with them.”

The 96,648-square-foot, $30-million school also includes an early learning and childcare centre for 114 infant, preschool and school-aged children with up to 2,000 square-feet of early learning space.

South Pointe resident Wayde Edwards says his two daughters Jennifer and Erica, who attend Bonnycastle School, are excited that they will soon be studying closer to home.

“They’re looking forward to being some of the first kids to be able to walk to school and enjoy the benefits of being so close,” Edwards said.

Whyte Ridge School principal Ruthanne Dyck will be making the move to South Pointe in January 2016. The school division announced her hiring as principal for the brand-new facility on April 24.

Dyck says she has mixed emotions about leaving the Whyte Ridge community but is excited about starting fresh at South Pointe.

“Anytime you invest in communities there’s always a sense of loss when you leave. At the same time I am hugely honoured, humbled and thrilled at the opportunity to open a brand-new school,” she said.

Dyck will remain at Whyte Ridge for the start of the school year in September before heading down to the construction site to be involved in the building process.

“I believe I may set up shop in a trailer on the parking lot,” Dyck said. “I’m not exactly sure but I will definitely be present because I need to be a part of the conversations and decisions that are made.”

Minister of Education and Advanced Learning James Allum said being a part of the new school has been a privilege and he is working with the division on bringing a high school to the west side of Pembina Highway.

“We’ll keep working with Pembina Trails School Division on their priorities and we’re good partners to make sure that we take care of everyone in due course,” he said.

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