While students have been out of school for the summer, many staff across VSB have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming school year. We are very grateful to the facilities team, who has completed hundreds of projects to help welcome students back to school. Some highlights include:

cəw̓as Ch'elxwá7elch Skwuláw̓txw Seaside Elementary – Students will be entering their brand-new school this September! This school adds capacity to the downtown core. The building includes an elementary school for 340 students, a child care centre for 65 children aged 0-5, out-of-school-care for 69 children and 60 affordable housing units. 

Grenfell Elementary – Seismic upgrades to the school are now complete, and Grenfell is ready to welcome students back in September. The facility will provide a safer, more accessible learning environment for students and staff. In addition to seismic upgrades, the school also has a new elevator. Additionally, students and staff will benefit from a new outdoor learning area and nature park, which will be used for outdoor education, play and connection to the natural environment. 

Lord Roberts Annex – Progress on the replacement school at Lord Roberts Annex continued this summer. The school is now permanently closed, and to preserve the playground structure, it is being relocated to other VSB sites. In the coming weeks, the school site will soon be fenced off as BC Hydro’s prepares for their substation project. 

New School in Olympic Village – Work on the new school in Olympic Village continued over the summer, and construction will begin ahead of schedule this fall. as we prepare for construction to begin. The site will be fenced off in late September.

Accessible Parking Stalls and Path of Entry – Work has been underway at eight schools to improve the parking and paths that lead to the building entrances. These schools include: Cunningham, Dickens, Lord, MacCorkindale, Renfrew, Lord Roberts, Templeton and Tupper. In addition, the accessible parking at the Education Centre has been improved so the accessible parking stalls are closest to the elevators.

Along with these highlights, other upgrades include sanding and refinishing six gymnasium floors, upgrading accessible parking stalls, restoring and upgrading playgrounds, improving fences and drainage at many sites, adding and rejuvenating outdoor learning spaces and so much more! 

“The summer is a busy time to accomplish a tremendous amount of work. Much of this goes unseen by students and families, but absolutely contributes to the experience and well-being at each school,” says Jessie Gresley-Jones, executive director of facilities. “The team manage our grounds, undertake minor capital projects, and execute hundreds of maintenance projects to ensure our aging facilities can last.” 

With 110 schools to maintain (including several very old buildings) the facilities team has their work cut out for them in July and August! A big thank you to the facilities team for continually working to improve school environments at VSB.