Public board set to unveil names of new schools

Three new school buildings destined to open in 2021 are about to be named.

The Edmonton public school board will announce its moniker choices Tuesday for a new K-9 school in the Creekwood Chappelle area and two new schools in Westlawn that will replace four aging buildings.

In December, the school district issued a call to the public for name suggestions, asking for the names of people who have made a valuable contribution to education, people who have made a valuable contribution to the community or names significant to the area, including neighbourhood names.

In 2017, after consultation sessions with people in the communities, the public school board opted to consolidate Afton, Glendale and Sherwood elementary schools and Westlawn Junior High School into two new school buildings.

A declining number of schoolaged children in mature neighbourhoods, deteriorating buildings and rising repair costs of older schools have prompted the school district to move to consolidate students into substantially upgraded or replacement schools in several parts of the city.

Last year, the provincial government agreed to fund two new schools in the Westlawn area, replacing Afton with a new K-3 school, replacing Westlawn with a new grades 4-9 school and closing Sherwood and Glendale schools. The new buildings will be constructed on existing school sites beside the older buildings.

The school district will pay $15 million from its capital reserves toward the estimated $40-million building replacements.

The $28-million Chappelle East school in southwest Edmonton will be constructed on Chappelle Drive near Carpenter Landing and have room for 900 students.

A slide show on the school district’s website said construction is scheduled to begin in early 2020.

The school board is set to announce the new school names at a Tuesday afternoon meeting.