To that end, he’s been able to see just what such a massive project might look like upon its completion – and in a word, it’s pretty impressive.
“I’ve have had the privilege in my career to have a chance to work with numerous schools, and the concept itself can seem overwhelming, especially with some of the smaller, quaint schools that we’re representing and a place that’s 130 kids like Empire and St. Mary’s as well,” Chase said during the recent public question and answer meeting. “It’s hard to wrap your head around what a mega-school like this might look like, but it’s not as intimidating as it sounds, once you enter the building.”
Chase used the All-Saints Catholic School and Ecole Centennial K-8 joint-use facility as an example of what could be seen here in Moose Jaw.
The building itself is undeniably huge, holding around 1,000 students and staff, but is designed in such a way that both schools are largely their own entities.
The schools are essentially separated by a hallway connecting the two gymnasiums – yes, each school has it’s own gym for its own use – with some shared spaces, including a high-school quality band room, applied arts centre and library area.
The building also includes a child care centre, with Chase pointing out that a potential student could theoretically attend the school from their days as a toddler right through to graduation if the school includes a high school system.
As for outside facilities, there are separate playgrounds for each school and the campus is designed for the most efficient flow of foot traffic as possible. There are also staggered entry and exit times for the two schools to minimize congestion in the area, with a 15 minute swing proving to be enough to keep things flowing smoothly.
Then there are the intangibles, one of which was voiced as a concern at the meeting – given the history behind some schools in the area, including 110 years of it at Empire School, what kind of culture would the students experience at a brand new facility?
The answer? Create your own. As an example, the Centennial Stars school sports programs weren’t a thing until 2014, and now they’re as much a part of Swift Current as any other school in the city.
“It’s a large space and overall footprint, but the beauty of this opportunity is you get to create your own school culture from scratch,” Chase said. “You get to start bringing the kids together, creating a school name, school colour and jerseys, all those things… instead of inheriting that you get to build it and create your own school culture right from Day 1. That’s something that can be a real source of pride for everyone involved.”
