Steinbach MLA and Education and Training Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced that students and staff in Winkler are now benefiting from a new kindergarten to Grade 8 school as part of the province’s commitment to build 20 new schools over the next decade.
“Our government is dedicated to improving education outcomes and providing the necessary tools, resources, and classroom spaces for students to learn, grow and achieve their full potential,” said Goertzen. “Manitobans elected us on a mandate to build new schools, sooner, and we are proud to celebrate the progress made on that commitment with the students, staff, families and community of Winkler today.”
The province invested $27 million for the new 84,000-sq.-ft. facility that will accommodate 675 kindergarten to Grade 8 students and includes a 74-seat child-care centre. The school has been designed to accommodate a future addition, increasing the future capacity of the school to 875 students to meet the needs of the growing community, the minister noted.
“The opening of Pine Ridge Elementary has provided much needed relief from enrolment pressures on our existing elementary schools in the city of Winkler, and will create better learning opportunities for our students,” said Laurie Dyck, chair, Garden Valley School Division. “We thank the province for the funding and partnership in building this facility.”
This school has 22 classrooms, a grooming room and life skills suite, multi-purpose spaces, a band room, a library, a large gymnasium, as well as home economics and industrial arts labs, and resource teaching and educational support spaces. The school also has enhanced acoustical treatment to reduce noise levels in classrooms and the gymnasium to support learning.
The child-care centre is in the final stage of construction and is expected to open in November, the minister said. This centre will accommodate 54 preschool children and 20 infants. In addition, the centre includes a 2,000-sq.-ft. flexible child-care space to accommodate nursery, preschool and before and after school students.
“These new spaces will create convenient and accessible child-care options for families in the area,” Families Minister Heather Stefanson said. “These spaces are among the first of 1,500 that will be added across Manitoba with every new school built, so even more children can benefit from quality early childcare close to home.”
This new school meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver rating requirements and Manitoba Hydro energy-use targets. This includes focusing on enhanced indoor air quality, greater energy efficiency and overall building durability.
The province’s commitment to build 20 new schools over the next decade will add capacity for almost 11,000 additional students in quality facilities that support excellence in education, Goertzen added.
