Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education and MLA for Red Deer North, receives a tour with Red Deer Public School Board Trustees on Thursday of the brand new Westpark Middle School by Principal Dean Pasiuk.

By Sheldon Spackman

New Digs

Minister LaGrange wowed by new Westpark Middle School

Sep 5, 2019 | 4:25 PM

Alberta’s Minister of Education toured Red Deer’s newest school on Thursday and was most impressed with what she saw.

Adriana LaGrange toured the brand new Westpark Middle School which opened for students on Tuesday, and learned all about the special features that make it unique.

LaGrange said the new facility is fabulous.

“What a beautiful school, so well thought out,” she exclaimed. “I wish I was a young person again so I could be part of the school and just one of the students because I could see the enthusiasm in the students’ faces, the teachers, the staff, the faculty, everyone.”

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LaGrange says the new school is timely with so much growth taking place in local student populations.

“So much thought has gone into it,” says LaGrange. “All of the students have been involved in the planning process, and just the details that have gone into it from the solar panels to the opportunities for the students to see how the mechanics of the school is actually built. There (are) glass panels in front of some of the mechanical rooms so that they can actually see the inner workings of the school.”

Construction on the $18 million building designed by Berry Architecture began in the fall of 2017.

It has 516 students currently enrolled and can accommodate up to 600.

The two-story building was designed and built to a minimum LEED Gold standard (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – a standard used as a green rating system for buildings).

Designed in consultation with students, the new Westpark Middle School has an open concept and includes outdoor classroom space, an office for Red Deer Minor Baseball and other unique features such as a solar chimney.

The school’s solar chimney is said to be the first of its kind in Red Deer and first school in Alberta, and aimed at improving the building’s heating and cooling efficiency.

Principal Dean Pasiuk says the school itself is also designed to be a teaching tool.

“Things that the Minister saw today like the Harry Potter stairs in the great space, the fluid dynamics of the water wall, the glass elevator to study pneumatics and gearing for the elevator and how the elevator works,” he explains. “The digital displays for the systems within the school’s air handling units, how much gas we’re using, how much electricity we’re producing. The students wanted to have a very Green school, so our entire roof is covered with the solar array, all the way down to the solar chimney.”

Pasiuk says this means the entire staff will be expected to teach Green programming throughout the school as well.

“We’re really excited about the possibilities that are there for Green technologies in the school itself,” adds Pasiuk. “And how we can lessen our footprint and teach our kids and they live in that environment every day.”

An official Grand Opening of the new Westpark Middle School is slated for October 4.