THUNDER BAY – Heather Harris says she looks at Ecole Elsie MacGill Public School as her baby.
Still under construction, the $27-million project is set to open in the fall, combining up to 745 students from Edgewater Park and Agnew H. Johnston public schools under one roof.
On Friday, Harris led a tour of the school, construction on which is expected to be completed sometime in April, on time and on schedule.
It’s been a long two years getting to this point, said Harris, who has had her finger on the design of the school, part of the south-side accommodation process that also led to the closure and demolition of Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate and Vocational Institute, the grounds on which the new elementary school will stand.
But it’s been worth the wait, she said.
“I’m just excited to see how excited everyone is going to be right when we move in. I can’t wait to welcome our families,” said Harris, adding she plans to meet with potential new students and their families next week at the inaugural kindergarten registration.
The school has been built with an eye to the future, embracing the latest in education technology, with plenty of flexibility built to be able to adapt as that technology undoubtedly changes over the life of the facility.
“I think one of the things we’re really focused on is making sure there are opportunities for innovation and collaboration. We know that happens a lot with the teaching within the curriculum, but giving kids flexible space, some really unique furniture and just areas where they can gather together and really form some community within the school, that was something that was really important in our design,” Harris said.
The fully accessible school will house 34 classrooms and a large gymnasium at the north end of the building, complete with a large performance stage. The single-hallway design will also help kids not feel lost.
“It’s a big space, but they’ll know where they are,” Harris said.
The school was the first in Canada to be accepted into the Microsoft Flagship School Program, which allowed the leadership team the opportunity to collaborate with educators around the world to discuss the innovative things being done elsewhere.
“What we really want to do is transform education for our kids and make sure it’s meeting their needs moving into jobs that we probably don’t even know about.”
It will also host School House Playcare Centre, which will move its Grey Street location into the new facility with the ability to look after infants and toddlers, as well as a pre-school and after-school program for older children. Little Lions Day Care will also have space at Ecole Elsie MacGill Public School.
Harris said students at the two soon-to-close schools have been getting to know each other over the past couple of years, so she expects the transition next fall to be a smooth one.
“We’ve had events where the students have come together. We did a Minecraft event at Westgate with intermediate and junior students from both schools to have them design the school, so that’s been neat,” Harris said.
“They get together with sports team and we have more activities as well.”
The students also came together to choose a school nickname, picking Hurricanes over Steelheads.
“The transition has gone really well,” Harris said.
