Floors were being washed, window sills were wiped down and grey lines were being painted on the gym floor Saturday, all in preparation for opening day of Chilliwack’s newest school.
With just three days to go until the first day of school, Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt Elementary Middle School was bustling on Sept. 3.
The new Kindergarten to Grade 8 school is located at the south end of Tyson Road and hugs the Vedder River.
The custodial team with Chilliwack School District #33 was on hand doing a deep clean of all the classrooms as the district’s technology team worked around them setting up teacher workstations on the weekend.
Principal Helen Plummer and vice-principal Jason Kemp were two of many at the school that day helping with preparations. They’ve been with Stitó:s for nine months and five months, respectively, and both said they can’t wait to welcome kids on Sept. 6.
“I can’t wipe the smile off my face,” Kemp said.
“It’s taken a team to develop the school,” he added. “We’ve pulled from all of our experts in the district to ensure that we have the right things in the school for the students.”
They got advice from several school district staff members – including P.E. instructors, the teacher-librarian association and the district co-ordinator for ADST curriculum (applied design, skills, and technologies) – and those experts ordered the best equipment and supplies for Stitó:s.
“It is truly a school that Chilliwack has built,” Plummer added.
Some of the features include furniture that is “flexible and versatile” and can be adjusted accordingly to fit both older and younger kids, Plummer said.
The desks and tables are designed to be able to be moved out of the way – they fold up to stand vertically and some even double as a whiteboard. There are metal stools that attach to the underside of workspaces with giant magnets, so they’re up and off the floor for easy cleaning.
Plummer and Kemp hired a staff of about 60.
“We have a phenomenal staff and I can honestly say I’d have my own children in anybody’s class here,” Plummer said.
They’re using a “collaborative teaming” approach at Stitó:s where two neighbouring classrooms are connected with a soundproof sliding door that can be opened to create one larger learning space. Two teachers will work together to teach both classes combined, or they have the option to focus on just one class.
Outdoor learning is encouraged at the school which stands just steps away from the Vedder River, and every main-floor classroom has a door leading directly to the outside.
The playgrounds are inclusive with a wheelchair accessible merry-go-round, special slides, and panels so kids can learn braille and sign language.
The school district and the City of Chilliwack signed an agreement for a $3.75 million artificial turf field which is still under construction at the school.
RELATED: City and school district sign agreement for $3.75 million turf field
Plummer and Kemp, along with the rest of the staff at Stitó:s will be welcoming kids via a staggered start on Sept. 6. That day, just the Grade 1 to 5 students will be attending. Grade 6s will start the next day, Wednesday, in the morning and then head home at lunchtime. Then in the afternoon, the Grade 7s and 8s will see the school for the first time. Kindergarteners start on Friday, Sept. 9.
There are 580 kids enrolled and the capacity of Stitó:s is 930. The elementary kids are on the main floor while the middle school classrooms are on the second floor.
Since the school isn’t at full capacity, sections of it are off limits to students and others while they are still under construction.
Public tours will be available but not until all construction is complete, Plummer said, which will be sometime after the beginning of October.
Despite the biggest challenge of building supply shortages, construction is on schedule. DGS Construction, the company that’s building the school, has been “the best” to work with, Plummer added.
Planning for the school started five years ago, construction began in October 2019 and a name was decided for the school in April 2020.
READ MORE: Chilliwack’s newest schools to be named Imagine High and Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt
It’s pronounced “stee-tahs lah-lem tot-ilt.” Stitó:s means ‘place of crossing’ while Lá:lém Totí:lt directly translates to ‘house of learning.’
The school’s logo, designed by Jason Roberts of Soowahlie, features a bear with a longhouse (a place of learning). The bear has its paws up and open as a welcome and is holding salmon. The fish represents the river – the location of the school, which overlooks the Vedder River.
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