School District 43's 30,000 students headed back to school Monday and 555 of them went to the brand new Eagle Mountain middle school which opened in Anmore.
Principal Nancy Bennett told the students that planning for the school started before they were born.
"You are at the centre of every decision we made," Bennett told the assembled students before they filed into their new classrooms.
Currently, only the top floor is accessible and Bennett said it would likely be a month before the explorations area and the gym on the lower floors would be open to students.
In the meantime, students will be doing PE outdoors and explorations projects in the classroom, she said.
The school opens with wireless capability, as it is connected to a fibre optics cable through an arrangement with the city of Port Moody and SD43, giving students the opportunity to do some of their learning on laptops, iPads, smart phones and tablets they will be allowed to bring to school.
As well, the class rooms have been designed to be flexible, with tables that can be reconfigured and areas where students can work together on projects.
Some of the furniture is different, too; there are wooden tables that look like picnic tables only taller, for group project work, and stools on wheels that can be moved around.
"Middle school students need to be able to wiggle," Bennett explained.
An outdoor courtyard with a view over the Heritage Woods secondary school and the nearby forest can be accessed by both the east and west wings and the classrooms all have large windows to let in the light.
DELIGHTED WITH NEW DIGS
Students who streamed into their new classrooms expressed surprise and delight at the new building, which has been 15 years in the making.
"It's cool," said one boy to his friends.
Several students The News spoke to said they were excited to finally be back in school after the protracted teachers' strike and lockout, which meant school ended abruptly mid June, two weeks early, and was delayed three weeks in September.
"It's good to be back in school finally," said Natalie Fast, a Grade 8 student.
"I'm excited to finally be in school and I get to try new things," said Heidi Mueckel, a Grade 8 student.
Katie Wilkie, a grade 7 student said she was looking forward to checking out the new lockers and seeing her friends.
Most of the students attended Moody middle last year, which has lost more than half of its student population and many of its teachers to Eagle Mountain. But the older school has rebranded itself as a School of the Arts, with French immersion and fine arts programs.
The opening of Eagle Mountain also means busing has been discontinued for Port Moody and Anmore students, saving School District 43 some money.
