VIDEO: School District unveils new state-of-the-art Parkcrest Elementary

KAMLOOPS — When students return to Parkcrest Elementary in September 2024, they will be in the most state-of-the-art school in Kamloops.

At a price tag of $34.8 million, the school will measure 46,500 sq. ft with 18 classrooms, three kindergarten classes and one double-sized gym that’s partially funded by the City of Kamloops, which is contributing an extra $2.5 million. School District 73 is investing $300,000.

The province has also added some energy efficiency to the building.

“One of the ways we’re doing that is through geothermal heating and cooling,” said Justin Dyck from Station One Architects, a firm from Chilliwack designing the new Parkcrest Elementary School. “We have loops that go through the back field and they will pull cooling and heating from the Earth itself, which is very neat.”

WATCH: See the full Parkcrest reveal video. (Video Credit: Station One Architects)

Even though it’s three years away from being complete, the Parkcrest community — students, teachers and parents alike — are already looking ahead to moving into what will be the most modern school in the district.

“I think it’ll be really exciting for the staff and the students and our families to be in a state-of-the-art building,” said Parkcrest Elementary principal Cath Gorman. “I’ve seen it now three times and every time there’s something new that you pick up on that gets more and more exciting.”

The new design is not only modern but larger than the former school’s footprint. The new Parkcrest will hold 510 students — 120 more than the original.

Principal Cath Gorman says the expanded capacity is desperately needed. The current school, Parkcrest Elementary at George Hilliard, has already grown since the students moved in two years ago, adding a third portable this year.

“We had 16 divisions this year, but we’ve grown to 17 for next year,” she said. “I know that the projections the district has put forth shows that we are going to continue to grow, which I think sparked part of the planning for the new Parkcrest. The amount of classrooms needed to be considerably higher than they are now.”

The Parkcrest students were shipped over to George Hilliard after the school burned down in September 2019. It created a ripple effect with the Twin Rivers Education Centre forced to move down the road to the old Happyvale Elementary.

Once the new school opens in three years, it will open up more capacity for students to return to their normal school settings.

“We have a space crunch. That’s not a secret. Having Parkcrest burn didn’t help, so 510 seats back into the capacity of our schools on the North Shore will be really key in getting a little bit of breathing room into schools.”

Construction on the new school is expected to begin next summer.