By Garrett Simmons - Lethbridge School District No. 51 - Communications officer

Wilson modernization already paying dividends for northside middle school

Sep 20, 2016 | 12:06 PM

Change is in the air at Wilson Middle School.

As students practise their craft in a brand-new band room, use the new computer lab adjoining the new shop area or take advantage of one of the new commons areas, there’s something different about the school.

“The culture is just different,” said Wilson principal Dean Hawkins, whose school is less than a year away from having its comprehensive modernization finally completed. “The kids are just so appreciative.”

When work comes to an end late next August, Wilson will be, for all intents and purposes, a new school. Already, the schools boasts a new Grade 8 wing, with just a few final touches to be done on the Grade 7 wing. Crews are hard at work on the Grade 6 wing, which will include many of the features currently being enjoyed by the 7s and 8s.

So far, the highlights of the modernization include the new band room, the shop (which will be fully functional in October) and a multi-media room, which will have the potential to deliver some unique, school-wide applications.

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Hawkins explained there will be television monitors in numerous locations throughout the school, such as the Grade 6, 7 and 8 common areas, along with a video board in the gym. All of the screens can be linked to the media centre, which can broadcast announcements to the entire student population, for instance, or even livestream a sporting event going on inside the gym.

Speaking of the video wall in the gym, that screen will have the potential to be used for video replays, and it can double as a scoreclock. But that’s not the only new feature the gym will possess, as a new glass wall will be installed, to provide a window into the new weight room, which is currently under construction.

Two other areas which are nearly complete include Wilson’s new shop and the school’s drama area. The shop includes an adjacent classroom, where students can use computer software to draft their projects, before making them a reality. Twice as large as the old shop, the new facility includes two new table saws and a new mitre saw, along with an area for students to complete small-engine repairs.

“That’s brand new,” said Hawkins. “It’s something no one else is doing so we thought we’d try it, and it filled up in no time.”

The drama centre will be another highlight, once it is completed. A new dividing wall is already in place on the stage, looking out towards the gym, and infrastructure on the ceiling has been installed, where the lights and curtains will eventually hang.

“We will have a fully-functioning drama centre,” said Hawkins, who added the floors also need to be completed.

The new art room has been finished, complete with a kiln and a smartboard, one of the many new areas of the school to incorporate technology.

Wilson’s Grade 8 wing features six new classrooms, four of which are separated by removable walls, which can open up those areas for joint classes or large presentations. The wing also includes a FNMI room, counselling space and an innovative room where small groups of students can utilize to work on projects.

The Grade 7 wing also includes many of those same features, while the Grade 6 wing, currently under construction, includes eight new classrooms, and a number of extras. A sewing room, where 20 sewing machines and one surger sewing machine will be housed, a learning-support room and a new computer lab, complete with a large, glass sliding door, will help complete that wing.

And outside the Grade 6 wing, a new cafeteria is being built. But that’s not the only big addition, as an outdoor fitness centre, including 15 pieces of equipment, should be installed within the next month. Another fitness centre, which will feature a basketball court, will be in place by next July.

“It’s going to be pretty neat,” said Hawkins of the outdoor fitness areas, as he added those areas will be easily accessible with the school’s new Grade 6, 7 and 8 entrances.

A number of signs with positive messages also adorn the new hallways, as the principal added each wing also features handicap washroom facilities.

Staff and students will have a few inconveniences to deal with throughout the rest of the 2016/2017 school year, as the school office has temporarily been moved into an old science classroom, for example, but already, the renovations are paying dividends.

“Honestly, it’s such a positive environment,” said Hawkins, who added Wilson has also experienced a bump in numbers, from 490 students last year to just under 580 this year.