October 19, 2017
Province Announces Major Addition, Renovation at École Dugald School
DUGALD—Students in Dugald and the RM of Springfield will soon benefit from more classrooms and a new gym thanks to a major addition and renovation at École Dugald School, Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart announced here today.
“By investing in quality learning environments for our students we are setting the stage for a bright future here in Manitoba,” said Wishart. “A new gym will provide students with more opportunities to get involved in sports and develop the kinds of healthy, active lifestyles we know are important.”
The minister noted the planned 19,392-sq.-ft. addition will create space for six new classrooms, a science room and a 5,600-sq.-ft. gymnasium. The existing 3,100-sq.-ft. gymnasium will be renovated to create a multipurpose and guidance room, he added.
École Dugald School is a kindergarten to Grade 8 dual track (English/French immersion) school, with a September 2017 enrolment of approximately 470 students. The school provides French immersion education to students in Dugald and the broader catchment area of the RM of Springfield.
“The École Dugald School community and the Sunrise School Division are thrilled by the announcement of the addition,” said Cassandra Kiernicki, area trustee, Sunrise School Division. “There has been a long history of the need for the addition and this has been a top priority for the board of trustees. The additional classrooms and gym will provide the additional space to support student learning.”
The school has seen enrolment grow in recent years as a result of five new housing developments in the area, a growing interest in French immersion and the transformation of the town into a bedroom community to Winnipeg. It has exceeded its core capacity of 375 students and has been using modular classrooms since 2008.
“We are pleased to support this project to accommodate the needs of our growing community for years to come,” said Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler, who attended the announcement with Wishart.
Wishart confirmed phase two of the project will see the construction of a new 6,450-sq.-ft., 74-seat stand-alone child-care centre that will be able to accommodate 20 infants and 54 preschool students.
The project will be supported through more than $92.4 million in planned capital spending by the province in 2017-18 for public school infrastructure projects, prioritizing the health and safety of students and educators and accommodating growth in enrolment, Wishart said, adding both projects are expected to be completed by December 2018.
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