(Photo credit: CFJC Today).

By Stephanie Swensrude

VALLEYVIEW EXPANSION

Valleyview Secondary opens east wing expansion

Apr 4, 2022 | 4:21 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s a big change that has been a long time coming. Valleyview Secondary School students are finally all in one building together. No more portables, disconnected from the school. No more hallways that are overcrowded and filled with students.

“Most breaks and lunches the entire hallway was filled and it was really hard to get through without bumping into everyone. And it was for some people very uncomfortable,” said Grade 12 student Lucas An.

But the change was noticeable when on Monday (Apr. 4), the $35 million expansion opened to students for the first time.

“It really hit me this morning when the bell went for lunch hour and I looked and I went,, ‘Where are all the people?’” said Valleyview Principal Barb Hamblett.

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“We were up to about 146 per cent capacity and we had students and staff kinda disconnected from the school community because they were in portables.”

(Photo credit: CFJC Today).

Staff and students were excited to finally move into the new wing.

“It feels really cool. It’s very open and very modern. It’s a lot of space for people to operate by themselves which is really cool because before it was really squishy,” said Lily Parker, Grade 12 student.

Before the expansion, the school had 900 students in a space meant for just over 600. This meant that, for years, up to 12 portables sat outside the school.

“It feels awesome to finally be a part of the community again. I’ve been out in a portable for seven years and to just be here… and the kids feel such a community,” said Roger Turner, math and physics teacher. “You can just see the change in the kids, how they feel like they belong.”

And even teachers who weren’t in portables are thankful for the extra room, like French teacher Emily Gillis.

“So much of the time when it’s in a second language… it just gets loud and hard to hear your partners because there’s other groups speaking,” she said. “The collaboration space across the hall, the round tables where students were eating lunch — I had already a class out there and we were having chat circles.”

The SD73 board has been working hard for this improvement.

“I’m serving my fourth term on the board and this will be one of my proudest moments. And I can tell you that the board that was here before that started this advocacy work, and the board that is here now — this is why we do what we do … to hear those kids and see those kids,” said Meghan Wade, vice-chair of SD73.

(Photo credit: CFJC Today).

Everyone agreed that the changes will improve the students’ quality of education.

“It’s very difficult when you’re trying to learn somewhere where you’re not comfortable or not having fun. So it’s good that we have a better place for learning for sure,” said Parker.