The big move into the restored, renovated, and renamed Drumheller Valley Secondary School is complete and ready for the public open house to be held Friday.
“Everyone is enjoying the space, it’s significantly larger than Central School. We’re enjoying the breathing room.”
LaPierre feels school pride is up since DVSS let students enter in January.
“Students are a funny breed – they often don’t realize the tremendous advantages they have because they didn’t have the opportunity to compare. You take our school now, you can now compare us to any city school in Calgary, Red Deer, or Lethbridge, and we have all the resources and program selection of any city centre.”
Patrons will find Friday the much larger and reworked gym, the large library housing the dinosaur display Lillian, the new cosmetology labs and woodworking rooms, as well as the great sounding band room and cleaned Kaleidoscope Theatre.
Each room as been equipped with SmartBoards, interactive boards that essentially act like a large computer screen for the whole class to see. A school network server has been installed to allow students to connect to their coursework from any computer in the school.
DVSS welcomed new cosmo teacher Cindy Karpa to the new classroom, in partnership with Bevan Scott Salon in Drumheller – the program currently has 46 students enrolled. A new sewing lab for junior high students is available, taught by Jaquie Kolm, with plans for Fashion Studies for senior high students in motion.
Roger Hamm is instructing drama and the woodworking program at the school now, with new equipment in the much larger shop.
DVSS recently purchased new equipment for the weight room, located above the gymnasium.
LaPierre says there’s some future talk about developing a park like setting in the coul d’ sac outside the school’s entrance. Ideas are also floating around for a playground designed for junior high students.
The not-yet-finished automotive shop will also incorporate a welding program, hopefully this semester.
The foods room is operational, complete with a television and camera broadcasting principal and foods instructor Mr. LaPierre’s instructions to students.
The cafeteria will begin serving meals to international students today (Wednesday), and local students on February 28.
Alberta Education is currently conducting a survey among students, parents, and teachers to grade different areas of school life. LaPierre is asking those who receive the survey to participate.
The open house begins at 2:00 p.m. this Friday at DVSS, 450 17th Street East, across the railroad tracks from Wal-mart.
