The student population of the Suwilaawks Community School is growing to the point it needs more classrooms.
A temporary solution is taking place this summer by converting space to create two more classrooms within the school’s existing footprint.
Coast Mountains School District 82 will also be seeking money from the provincial government to add four classrooms to the structure.
“The school is at capacity and the Coast Mountains School District anticipates a continued growth in enrolment,” said Coast Mountains School District 82 Superintendent Aaron Callaghan.
Pupil numbers are rising at every grade level and no one grade is growing faster than others, he added.
Construction will depend upon a successful application for provincial money and the request will be made as part of the school district’s overall capital spending plan for 2024-2025.
A growing school population marks a change from the past several decades when continued drops in enrolments meant a series of school closures and consolidations.
Suwilaawks itself grew out of two separate schools, the ET Kenny Primary School and Clarence Michiel Elementary School.
The decision to close the ET Kenny Primary School building and move its students to the Clarence Michiel Elementary School building right next door because of low enrolment and as a cost-saving measure was made in 2010.
The Clarence Michiel Elementary School building of the Suwilaawks Community School then become a K to 7 school.
School district enrolment this past year was 4,244, slightly more than the 4,145 students in the 2021-2022 school year.
School district enrolment in 2021-22 was 4,145. In 2022-23, school district enrolment was 4,244.
Enrolment is anticipated to increase slightly in the fall, said Callaghan.
One indicator of enrolment rests with the number of young children registering for kindergarten but even that can be a challenge.
“It is difficult to capture upcoming kindergarten enrolments with a high level of accuracy. Certainly there are housing developments in the Suwilaawks Community School catchment that are anticipated to impact school enrolment,” said Callaghan.
“And we have the same information regarding Uplands Elementary at this time with new housing starts not playing a major role in kindergarten enrolment for the 2023-24 start-up. Time will tell.”
The ET Kenny Primary School building is now rented to variety of groups with one major tenant being the Coast Mountains Children Society’s daycare operation.