Ralph Bell Elementary set to welcome its first cohort of Bobcats Tuesday

KAMLOOPS — Summer 2022 is almost over, and the new school year is just one long weekend away. As parents and kids prepare to fall back into the school day routine, the finishing touches are being installed at Ralph Bell Elementary.

“Being able to hear (the children’s) voices in the school. We had briefly for a kindergarten orientation in June. Now being able to have them on Tuesday and hearing those voices in the school is definitely going to be a wonderful moment,” said Principal Tiffany Hawkins.

Twelve years after it was shutdown the school is set to reopen on Tuesday to help relieve pressure on the south side of the district.

“The south shore schools have been notoriously growing and were growing at a pace of one elementary school per year and we just don’t have schools being built quickly enough. So, we needed to reopen Ralph Bell in order to alleviate the pressure,” said Rhonda Nixon, SD73 Superintendent.

During the twelve years it was shutdown, the school site was utilized by daycares and other community groups. The work began to revitalize the space in April.

“Our staff have been hard at work the last handful of months, everything from flooring, painting, new fire alarm system, p.a. system, gym floor, you name it, new lightning, we’ve been hard at work and the our staff has done a tremendous job,” stated Project Manager Kyle Baker.

With the extra space that Ralph Bell provides, the staff have been able to create extra rooms to help cater to the needs of the students such as sensory rooms.

“To see one, I wish it wasn’t the norm but be excited about it, but it kind of is. So, I think for students coming into a school that has one and has that space and that resource space, it’s a bit of a different feel,” added Board Chair Heather Grieve.

The district hopes to have sensory rooms in every school.

While the official first day of school is not until next Tuesday, some students and families have already gotten a sneak peak inside the new home of the Bobcats.

“By the end they were running onto the playground and checking out all the different classroom spaces. A lot of their reactions were oh my goodness this school is beautiful, they have done a beautiful job. Really positive reactions,” said Hawkins.