No, we are not. We are only dismantling the two 20+ year old portables that currently house our JK students and one of our Grade 4 classrooms. Additionally, Ms. Pella’s French room will be reassigned so that we can open up the wall and see the entire front of the Eversley Schoolhouse. Nothing else will be torn down. Our Lifers will still be able to “do their walk” from one end of the School to the other.
Every effort will be made to design and incorporate green building initiatives including radiant floor heating in the new wing. The rejuvenation will allow us to upgrade much of the mechanicals used to maintain the oldest parts of our school and these changes will be much more energy efficient (saving energy and operating costs). The new design will also try to feature as much natural light as possible to allow a bright vibrant space for our young learners without the need for excess artificial lighting.
The Board of Directors, guided by our strategic plan, has identified this project as a priority to replace our existing 20-year-old plus temporary classrooms, refresh the oldest part of our School, and protect and cherish our original 1883 one-room Eversley Schoolhouse.
The design and construction processes will be designed to minimize disruptions to the normal school day. We will institute careful drop-off/pick-up procedures, and will ensure the construction areas are secured. During our construction period, the Junior School will take advantage of the Junior/Middle playground for recess periods.
We have not modeled the financing structure of the building project on increased fees. A blend of campaign support, operating cash flow and a reasonable amount of debt will fund the project.
The project start is dependent upon our goal of raising $7M. As of September 2019, we have reached 50% raised or $3.5M against an expected $12-14 million build. Our expectations are that with the support of our community we will be able to break ground by spring 2020 and officially begin digging that June. The construction cycle will take advantage of our summer off periods, and we will endeavour to complete it as quickly as possible, with a likely opening in the fall of 2021.
Our student experience in the Junior School is often thought of as magical, we will steadfastly protect this but endeavor to make it better! We will gain first-rate classroom spaces and inspirational common areas for our Junior School that have long been desired and we will have a space specific to the Junior School that our youngest students can all gather together in.
No – all projects like this one are dependent primarily on fundraising, but also continued investigation, costing exercises, modeling and site approvals are required. However, we are confident, having completed the Senior School and Dining Hall in 2015/2016, that we have the expertise to shepherd this project to completion.
The project is not specifically designed to increase the School population. This new project provides some flexibility to add students to our primary years if the demand warrants. However, in the short term, there is no intention to expand the size of the student population beyond current capacity.
