Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

HIT THE BOOKS!

SD73 shows off newly renovated Westsyde Elementary School

Aug 27, 2019 | 5:29 PM

KAMLOOPS — Classrooms are in various states of preparation at Westside Elementary School, as the building prepares to welcome students for the first time in 13 years. For the school’s principal Don Poelzer, the excitement has been steadily growing.

“The most exciting part for me is the opportunity to start a school where there’s no real culture existing at this point in time,” Poelzer explains. “We’re going to have a great opportunity to work with kids and their parents and the staff here to build a truly collaborative community.”

It was announced the school would reopen last March, in large part due to the fact nearby David Thompson Elementary was operating at 125% capacity. Since then SD73 tradespeople have been working hard to prepare the campus, spending over 9000 hours renovating the building and grounds

“$1,000,000 has been invested in this facility,” District Superintendent Alison Sidow says. “We’ve got large classrooms, new flooring, new paint. The electricians have ensured it’s going to be well-outfitted for strong wifi. We know it’s going to be a facility where kids can enjoy their learning.”

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The campus is built to house over 350 students but will start 2019-2020 with close to 175. That space, according to Principal Poelzer, will give the students plenty of opportunities to learn collaboratively.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

“We can do stuff like put together breakout areas, so kids can take some tables and slide them together, and they can sit out in the hall and work with each other,” Poelzer tells the assembled media who toured the building Tuesday afternoon.

For both Poelzer and Sidow, the chance to open up a school is a positive move for the community and the district.

“It will be a really exciting place for kids to come to work with other kids, their teachers and also with the parents and the community, as well,” Poelzer says.

For Sidow: “How exciting, and how often does a board get to reopen a school and to breathe life into it. But once those kids come through the door, that’s when the real energy starts.”

If you still need to register your kids, the time to do so is Wednesday, August 28th or Thursday, August 29th. All district schools will be open from 9 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 3 pm. And of course the first day of school is Tuesday, September 3rd, with classes for elementary and secondary students starting at 10:30 am.