It’s a new era for Valleyview Secondary School.
The massive, $34.45-million expansion of the Kamloops high school is now complete and ready to welcome students.
The multi-year project added 20 more classrooms to the school, which provides room for 525 more students.
It also included a new gymnasium, multi-purpose spaces and innovative classrooms like film studios, a drafting room and gender-neutral washrooms and change rooms.
"The increased space and the brand-new gymnasium will help students at Valleyview thrive in their everyday lives at school,” said Minister of Education Jennifer Whiteside.
“We're thankful for our strong partnership with the Kamloops-Thompson School District (SD73) and are committed to continue focusing on enrollment growth to create the best possible learning environments for students.”
Heather Grieve, chair of the SD73 Board of Education, said the additional space for students has been much-needed for some time at Valleyview Secondary.
It was originally designed for 685 students, but currently has more than 1,000 enrolled. Fortunately, the school now has an expanded capacity of 1,200 students.
SD73 pitched in $1.75 million towards the expansion, while the Province took on the bulk of the costs at $32.7 million and it’s not the only school project being funded by the provincial government.
Nearly $35 million has also been earmarked to rebuild Parkcrest Elementary and with room for 120 more students than the old school provided.
“The new school will include a neighbourhood learning centre with space for programs such as child care that will serve the community,” explained a release from the Province.
Construction at Parkcrest is underway and the new school is expected to be complete in 2024.
