Some schools in fast-growing Central Alberta communities are struggling to accommodate an influx of students.
While Chinook’s Edge School Division superintendent Kurt Sacher believes having more young families moving to Penhold, Sylvan Lake and Olds “is a good problem to have,” it’s stretching classroom space and resources.
Penhold has grown by 32 per cent between the 2011 and 2016 censuses. Olds has grown by 11.5 per cent over the past few years. And, while Sylvan Lake hasn’t taken a census lately, its population had been increasing by about four per cent annually before 2011 — making it one of the fastest growing communities in the area.
Classroom space has been particularly tight at schools in Penhold. With cheaper residential lot prices, the town is rapidly becoming a bedroom community of Red Deer.
For the second time in as many years, the Chinook’s Edge school district received approval to add more classrooms to Jessie Duncan School. In the fall of 2017, the formerly pre-K to Grade 1 school added Grade 2 in four portable classrooms. This coming fall, it will add Grade 3 classes, since it’s getting four more “relocatable” classrooms.
Sacher believes this will create more breathing room at two other Penhold Schools.
Penhold Elementary will become a Grade 4 to 6 school in the fall (instead of Grades 3-5). And Penhold Crossing School will have Grades 7-12 (instead of a Grades 6-12).
Sacher feels a hike in student population is ultimately beneficial for Chinook’s Edge, as well as the Central Alberta towns that are experiencing these mini booms.
But since there are spacial challenges, his district is requesting that Alberta Infrastructure build a new Olds elementary school within the next few years “to met demographic and community growth.”
It’s also asking for funds to completely modernize the aging infrastructure at Sylvan Lake’s H. J. Cody School. The town’s only high school was constructed in 1957 and received only minor renovations in 1997. The addition of relocatable classrooms, a new school, and some grade configurations helped to ease school crowding in Sylvan Lake over the past few years.
A few more years down the road, the Chinook’s Edge school district would like to replace Penhold Elementary School with a new 600-student capacity middle school — as well as get a new Pre-K to Grade 4 school in Carstairs, which is becoming a bedroom community of Calgary.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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