High school students in Colville Lake will start their academic year in two brand new classrooms on Thursday this coming week.
Modular buildings that will serve as home base for senior students were transported to the community by winter road from Edmonton and arrived in March.
The Sahtu community was originally due to receive three modular buildings – two classrooms and a bathroom – in February 2024.
Sahtu MLA Danny McNeely described the new additions to the school’s campus as an interim solution until an entirely new school can be built. The school’s existing building has long been described as inadequate.
A new school build is being led by the Behdzi Ahda First Nation. The facility would eventually be leased back to the territorial government, McNeely said.
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Mitchell MacDonald, the school’s principal, said he and the rest of the staff are excited to welcome students to the new facilities, which he said are a welcome addition to the existing classrooms.
“The biggest thing will be the capacity,” MacDonald said.
“More spacing, more learning environments that are inclusive to the students’ learning needs and quieter learning spaces, especially for the seniors, separate from the other school buildings.”
McNeely – who grew up in Colville Lake, which has a current population of about 150 – said when he was a child, he had to attend residential school in Inuvik in part because the community didn’t yet have a school.
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He said having this kind of education infrastructure in the community makes “a huge difference.”
“When I went to residential school, we left Colville Lake in September and we came back in June. And now, every day, today’s students could walk to and from home,” said McNeely.
He and education minister Caitlin Cleveland will be in the community for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday at 12:45pm, McNeely said.
MacDonald said school staff, teachers and community members are welcome to join the opening celebrations.
He said he’s looking forward to the year ahead and making sure students have an opportunity to be engaged outside Colville Lake in things like sporting events, traditional games and art activities.
