Recovery effort underway at Rideau Park School

Temporary fencing surrounds Rideau Park School

The 2012-2013 school year has officially concluded in Calgary but for students of Rideau Park School, the summer will be filled with the uncertainty of not knowing if they’ll have a school to return to in the fall.

Rideau Park School, constructed in 1930, is a short distance from the banks of the Elbow River.  The flooding of the past few weeks filled the school’s basement with murky water and left the gymnasium floor submerged.

The school is insured for the cost of the damage and the Calgary Board of Education has hired a contractor to clean up the silt inside the building.

The basement of the school, which hosts kindergarten through grade nine, is where the classes for junior high school students are normally held.  The students were unable to retrieve any of their belongings prior to none of the students got any of their belongings out before the flood hit.

Many of the school’s 370 students are hopeful the building will be ready, in some capacity, in time for the start of fall classes.

“Things are definitely not going to be back to normal September 1,” says Lisa Poole, a Rideau Park School parent.  “Sometimes these things are very positive when communities and groups of people have to come together and work towards common goals.  There's benefits that come out of that kind of scenario.”

The Calgary Board of Education says of its 225 schools, 33 were located in evacuation zones.

Three schools were badly damaged by flood water and work is underway to rebuild.  If any of the damaged schools are not ready by September, the student body will be moved to a temporary facility until repair work is completed.

With files from Kevin Fleming