New School information - December 16, 2009

On 16 December, a UHill Secondary PAC meeting was convened to hear about progress on the design for our new UHill Secondary School. Approximately 30 parents attended, suggesting significant enthusiasm for the new secondary school (scheduled to open spring 2012).

Parents asked the architects questions related to many issues, including

• construction scheduling;
• student access to the school;
• plans for recreational amenities;
• facilities for bicycles;
• safety concerns, and others.

The project architect outlined the many design innovations for the school, including

• Progressive design of a diversity of spaces aimed at supportiong interactive learning, exchange and dialogue;
• the process used to refine the design of internal spaces of the school;
• planning for landscaping and facilities outside the building.

The architect, VSB planning staff (Alex Grant and Bob Moore) and UHill Secondary Principal Mark Pearmain re-iterated the call for feedback from teachers, students, parents and the broader UHill community.

We strongly urge all families to take full advantage of this opportunity. The new facility will be, after all, “our school” for the 21st century. It is an exciting opportunity to contribute towards redefining learning spaces for the next generation of schools.

On behalf of all UHill parents, we would like to say THANK YOU to all who contributed, both for providing this update, and for the open nature of the process.