B.C.’s fastest growing school district hopes new elementary school will ease the pressure

With a new school year kicking off next week, the Sooke School District has reason to celebrate: unveiling its newest elementary school Wednesday.

Amanda Dowhy is the chair of the SD 62 school board and says the school’s name was gifted to the district by the SC’IȺNEW Nation.

“It is both fitting and meaningful that this school carries the name SĆIȺNEW̱ SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ, meaning salmon children,” said Dowhy.

It’s a 480-seat school located in South Langford, costing nearly $48 million, and a welcome addition to the fastest growing school district in the province.

Paul Block is the superintendent of the Sooke School District and says the population growth in the West Shore puts immense pressure on the district. Other elementary schools in the area are well over their intended capacity.

“Happy Valley Elementary, for example, for the past 10 years, has been at a 140 per cent capacity,” said Block.

The same goes for neighbouring Wishart Elementary School. What the new school will do is take the pressure off of the over-capacity elementary school system in the West Shore.

“We adjusted catchments and that process has been going on for three years,” said the superintendent.

Beginning Tuesday, neighbouring elementary schools will be operating below capacity, something that the district hasn’t experienced in years.

Now, the focus for SD 62 is finding a fix for its secondary school system. Belmont Secondary School was built for a capacity of 1,200 students. This September, it will welcome nearly 1,850.

Royal Bay Secondary School, which has already seen an $88-million addition since it was built, is currently home to eight portable classrooms and is operating at 135 per cent of its capacity.

“In true Sooke School District fashion, we have been looking at every unique idea that we can do,” said Dowhy.

The short-term solution could come in the way of pre-fabricated classrooms like the ones already in use at Ruth King Elementary School. The District says it can install more of them on a parcel of land it owns near Royal Bay Secondary.

“We would be able to use that as what we call a satellite campus for Royal Bay Secondary,” said Block.

The next step would be securing approval for a full-sized secondary school in North Langford. If the province funds that project, the pre-fabricated classrooms in Royal Bay would be the starting point for another new elementary school.

Back in South Langford, SĆIȺNEW̱ SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ Elementary School is about to welcome its first batch of students next week, solving the Sooke School District’s overcrowded elementary school system for now.

“For once, to be frank, we are going to have space for a number of years, not just for today,” said Block.