First high school in Blackfalds to be named “Iron Ridge Secondary Campus”

Elder Burt Bull, who has been working with WCPS for a number of years, began by singing an Indigenous prayer.

Students of the neighbouring Iron Ridge Junior Campus then announced the new name of the high school by holding signs with the words “Iron Ridge Secondary Campus” written across.

Students from Iron Ridge Junior Campus holding signs announcing the name of the first high school in Blackfalds as “Iron Ridge Secondary Campus”. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

WCPS Superintendent Tim De Ruyck explained the history of the name for both schools. He said Blackfalds was a main railroad hub in Alberta making iron a large contribution to the town and “ridge” commemorates the town’s landscape. He also said multiple submissions were made by locals to maintain consistency in the name.

De Ruyck says he is pleased with the location next to the junior campus for the flexibility in changing the grade configurations if necessary, as well as future opportunities for expansion and building outdoor amenities like a track.

“It’s just incredibly modern,” he said about the facility’s plans. “Lots of natural light; the spaces are just very conducive to student learning.”

The provincial government announced in 2019, funding for a new high school in Blackfalds. With construction to begin around June 6, according to De Ruyck, the expected completion date is September 2024.

READ: New schools coming to Red Deer and Blackfalds

The school is one of five currently being built in the province through the public-private partnerships (P3) approach.

A P3 approach allows governments to partner with one contractor to design, build, finance, and maintain a facility. Contractor Concert-Bird Partners has been chosen for the Blackfalds school under a 30-year contract.

In the traditional approach, the public sector hires an architect to design the school, a construction contractor to build it, and awards individual contractors when needed for repairs. The public sector funds the construction and maintains the facility through provincial grants.

Concerns were raised with this approach, however, due to previous issues with contractors and response times to maintenance, noted the Opposition NDP.

READ: Groundbreaking ceremony for new Blackfalds high school on Friday

LaGrange, however, says the P3 approach allows for more infrastructures, such as roads and schools, to be built due to the partnerships being made. She states that in the early days of its utilization, the issues stemmed from the contracts signed rather than the infrastructure itself, and that she has full confidence in the government’s due diligence in choosing the best contractor for the school.

“He [Minister of Infrastructure Prasad Panda] did a huge engagement with school authorities and others right across this province to ensure that he understood what the issues were from the previous P3 projects that have been completed,” she said.

“He has done a fantastic job of really ensuring that upcoming contracts would be able to be more flexible and more adaptive to needs of schools and school authorities.”

All stakeholders present at the groundbreaking of the new high school in Blackfalds on May 27. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

by Alessia Proietti

First high school in Blackfalds to be named “Iron Ridge Secondary Campus”

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