A new jim-dandy of a school has a dandy gymnasium.
The kindergarten to Grade 8 Meadow Ridge School boasts what is one of the top gymnasiums in any Alberta school, said its builders.
“It’s an extra large gymnasium, over what was originally intended,” said Julian Fogarty, project manager with Group2 Architecture Interior Design Ltd. “It is a focal point. And it will be a jewel in the crown for Okotoks.
“There is a high-quality maple-wood floor being installed there. It is a floor that any NBA team would be happy to have.”
While the 17,000 sq. ft. gym is of Raptor-quality, the ‘We the North Okotoks School’ is designed for kindergarten to junior high school students – not for Kawhi Leonard.
The large gym means plenty of physical activity for the approximately 510 students at Meadow Ridge School.
“You can have so many students in the gym at one time,” said Jodie Colfer, Meadow Ridge athletic director. “The students get four to five phys-ed blocks a week because of the size of the gym.”
The gym can be split into three classes thanks to dividers.
“Having maximum ability to have kids participate in the gym is awesome,” Colfer said.
The only thing bigger than the gym might be the students’ eyes the first time they see the facility.
“It’s amazing — when the kids walk in they are blown away by the size of it and the brightness of it and how open it is which is very cool,” Colfer said.
Foothills School Division trustees voted to put some money into the gym to make it a larger space.
“Often times when Alberta Infrastructure builds a new school, they build a very standard, smaller-sized gymnasium,” said division chair Larry Albrecht, one of two Okotoks trustees along with Sharon Nichols. “The decision was made to make that investment for school and community.”
It’s not unprecedented — it was also done at Highwood High School in High River.
Community is a key component for the Meadow Ridge gym. The division wants to open the doors for community use.
“Our school will get first crack at it, but if there are groups that want to access the gym or other area of our schools, they can go through that joint use agreement we have with the Town,” Albrecht said.
Kevin Page, Meadow Ridge School project manager with Graham Construction, said it is one of the few NBA quality floors in Western Canada.
“There are multiple layers, different wood products that is finished in a different way so you don’t have the impact you would have on a gym floor,” Page said. “It’s not going to wear down the kids’ knees.
“It has multiple basketball courts, badminton courts, volleyball, you name it, it has it… This is one of the best gyms that I have ever built.”
As for community use that won’t be for another year – as there is still some work that needs to be done on the floor (anyone walking in the gym with dirty outside shoes, will likely receive the frightening Colfer Glare).
“For the first year we won’t have community because the gym floor needs more coats,” said Meadow Ridge principal Rebecca Forchuk. “But obviously our kids will be using it right away.”
