 |
|
SAANICH – Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA Ida Chong and Saanich North and the Islands MLA Murray Coell joined District of Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard, Saanich Board of Education chair MaryLynne Rimer, trustees, educators and students to officially open the new Royal Oak Middle School today.
“I’m pleased that this new school will provide students and educators with state-of-the-art facilities for learning and teaching,” said Coell. “At the same time, the new building will be environmentally friendly, save energy, improve indoor air quality and make better use of natural light.”
The new Royal Oak Middle School was built to LEED standards, with efficient heating and air conditioning systems, and sensors in each classroom that automatically adjust light and heat according to the presence of people and available natural light. It also meets the latest building requirements for seismic safety.
“Through an innovative partnership with the municipality, we have been able to provide a significantly improved gym, drama room and shop,” said Chong. “Students will benefit from these facilities in the daytime and the community will be able to use them in the evenings.”
“We’re thrilled to be part of this partnership with the school district and the provincial government,” said Leonard. “Everybody benefits when we work together to provide schools that are also open for community use.”
Royal Oak Middle School was built at a cost of over $24.2 million, with $21.9 million coming from the Province and $723,000 from the municipality of Saanich.
“By taking advantage of our close working relationship with the municipality, we were able to build a school that gives students wonderful new learning opportunities and sets high environmental standards,” said Rimer.
Each classroom is equipped with at least four computer stations and an LCD projector, allowing teachers to project their computer-based lessons onto a large screen. The new gym, drama room and shop were upgraded using community funds.
A partnership with Commonwealth Place Recreation Centre means school facilities will be used for regularly scheduled aerobics, martial arts, cooking and woodworking classes.
“Our government has encouraged school districts to find community partners and offer a wider variety of courses and programs that make education more relevant to students’ interests and goals,” said Education Minister Shirley Bond. “I’m pleased to see that this new school will better serve our students and will also provide a valuable resource to the community.”
Since 2001, the Province has invested $31.5 million in the Saanich school district to complete five capital projects.
Since 2001, the Province has spent over $1.3 billion to
complete 26 new schools, 41 replacements, 147 additions, 25 renovations and 20
site acquisitions across British Columbia. By the end of 2008-09, the Province
will have invested more than $3.1 billion in school capital and maintenance
projects across the province.
-30-
|
contact: |
Ministry of Education 250 356-5963 |
|
|
|
||
|
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
||
