Okotoks’ next public school will open as a Kindergarten to Grade 8 school in September. Foothills School Division trustees voted unanimously on Dec. 12 to have the new Meadow Ridge School, located along 32 Avenue, start as a K to Grade 8 rather than the traditional K to 9 or K to 7. It suits principal Rebecca Forchuk fine. “What excites me is when you have that junior high piece, we have the ability to have more leaders to help build that junior high culture,” Forchuck said. “One of the things we considered is how do you program your specialists when you only have one grade level. “It gives you the opportunity to better program for your bands, your foods, your woods, your arts, some of those specialists where we have the space and the room.” She added it will help Grade 7 students, who won’t have to handle the pressure of being the oldest students in a brand new school. “When you are starting a new culture and you have those Grade 7s who came up from Grade 6, they don’t have that junior high lens necessarily,” Forchuk said. “Being able to bring Grade 8s who have lived that for a year and they are a year older [will help]. “Those Grade 8s will transition to be our first Grade 9s (in September 2020).” Trustees have also put out a recommendation for the new boundary for Okotoks schools with Meadow Ridge School coming online in September. Okotoks trustee Sharon Nichols said she was pleased with the proposed boundary for Meadow Ridge. “What we really like is we are able to keep as much stability and community as we would want,” Nichols said. “We took in consideration future growth so that there would be minimum disruption to families in case should we have to have a new school in the new opening areas. “I think it also stabilizes the growth for Westmount [School] because we are restricted to the size of that school without being able to put portables in.” She said she is hoping impact to families will be kept to a minimum. She said if students have to move, she wants it done in a way that they go together with neighbours and friends to keep some continuity. Regardless of the final outcome regarding boundaries, Meadow Ridge needs students. “The reality is we are opening a new school and kids are going to have to move,” said Drew Chipman, associate superintendent, corporate finances. The Foothills School Division has already started the public consultation process. Residents can give their feedback on both the proposed boundary and the grade configuration at is web site at fsd38.ab.ca A public consultation meeting is scheduled for Jan. 24 at Dr. Morris Gibson at 6:45 p.m. Trustees will make a final boundary decision in March. Highlights for the proposal for student living within the Okotoks town boundary are:
- Mountain View and D’Arcy community children will go to Meadow Ridge School.
- Meadow Ridge has students from Crystal Shores – north of lake and north part of Dr. Morris Gibson; out-of-town.
- Ranchers’ Rise and Drake Landing Loop communities to 48th Street go to Meadow Ridge School
- Students from Cimarron Gardens will go to Big Rock.
- Big Rock Trail a dividing line for natural pathway activity; north Big Rock School – south Westmount.
- Heritage Heights school attendance boundary area, west of Highway 2 ‘DeWinton’, is reflected here and unchanged to current boundary.
- Heritage Heights, Meadow Ridge, Big Rock and Dr. Morris Gibson schools receive students from out of town.
- École Percy Pegler does not have any out of Town students.
- Westmount school does not receive any out of town students in any scenarios.
