A just-announced expansion to Chilliwack’s Sardis Secondary couldn’t come at a better time for a school that is bursting at the seams. That’s how acting principal Lynnet Schramm describes the scene. The school’s capacity is 1,200 and the current population is around 1,350.
It feels like even more than that as Schramm walks the halls each day but the expansion, funded by up to $40 million in provincial government money, will alleviate the congestion by adding 400 seats.
“The school is cramped,” she said. “We are really looking forward to this expansion.”
Sardis Secondary currently has 13 portables on the property and Schramm hopes the addition eliminates those.
“There are close to 300 students who are coming into the halls every change period and lunchtime,” Schramm noted. “So we’re bursting at the seams finding places for those students to mingle and socialize. And it’s always nicer to have students in the building rather than outside in the elements when it’s snowy or rainy or windy, and there are no washroom facilities when it comes to those portables.”
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Schramm said the expansion will provide an opportunity to expand the school’s gymnasium space, which she said has “been lacking a little bit” and there will be a music and theatre space going into the addition.
“Right now we’re using classroom space with some meeting rooms on the side, so we’re hoping to expand that,” she said. “We believe the theatre space will have some expanding seats which will provide opportunities to continue running musical theatre programs that we have been running in a smaller setting.”
The expansion will also reconfigure the bus loop at the school, which is currently quite chaotic.
“We have buses coming through here, we have parents coming through here and we have staff and students coming through here,” Schramm said, pointing to the parking area just outside the school’s main entrance. “It is really a bottleneck in the morning and after school.”
Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care, was at the school for the announcement and took a tour. This is the latest in a series of government investments in Chilliwack schools. The province has provided $100 million over the last five years to build two new schools, Imagine High Arts and Technology and Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt Elementary/Middle School, and fund school expansions at G.W. Graham Secondary and Vedder Elementary.
Those four projects added 2,220 new seats to the district.
“Students deserve access to supportive, safe learning environments that help them grow and thrive,” Singh said. “We’re making investments in Chilliwack and other fast-growing communities to support families, students and school staff.”
“Our government is doing great work to support families and students in Chilliwack,” said Kelli Paddon, MLA for Chilliwack-Kent, who was also at the announcement. “It’s great to see how the recently completed addition at GW Graham Secondary, and the newly opened Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt Elementary/Middle School are benefiting students and families.”
Since September 2017, the provincial government has announced $3.2 billion for new and improved schools, as well as land purchases for future schools throughout the province. Budget 2023 includes $3.4 billion for school capital projects over the next three years.
“The Chilliwack Board of Education is pleased to see the approval of the addition for Sardis Secondary,” said board chair Willow Reichelt. “This is wonderful news for our rapidly growing district. We appreciate the provincial government’s continued support for creating permanent learning spaces for our students.”
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