Becoming reality
New Pictou Landing school on schedule
PICTOU LANDING, N.S. — Things just got more real for the new school being built at Pictou Landing First Nations. “One day, there were no walls there, the next day, they were up,” said Heather Head, communications director for the community. “Just seeing the walls going up, that was huge. The community is getting excited, knowing it’s on schedule.” A group of students have been making periodic visits to the site — once the work area been secured enough to be deemed safe — to record the progress. “They’ve been walking down to the site and they have their iPads and are taking pictures and have been recording the project,” she said. “They’re actually making a video that they’re working on. So, the kids are really excited for it. It’s going to be a whole new experience for them.” Construction on the 33,000-square-foot facility started November 2018 with an opening planned for September 2019, in time for the new school year. The building will include two pods. The first pod will be for pre-primary through to Grade 4 and the second will be for middle school students in grades 5 to 8. “We’re right on schedule,” said project manager Terry Donovan, who recently sat down with The News to discuss the project, which comes with a price tag of $10.2 million and is being built by Dartmouth-based Dora Construction. Asked if there is anything that could throw a wrench in the plans, Donovan seemed confident that there won’t be any major issues. “We’ve already overcome the major one, that being winter-build.” One of the highlights of the school will be a 7,000-square-foot gymnasium, a Mi’kmaq language classroom, playground areas, a walking trail system and a wing for the Early Childhood Education Centre (ECE). “They’ll have their own space and their own entry way,” Donovan said of the ECE. Another attraction will be a common learning area. “It serves as a library but it’s not just a library,” Donovan says. “It’s a central learning space and there’ll be all kinds of activities going on there. It will be the central focus of the school.” A gender-neutral washroom is also part of the construction plans. Both Donovan and Head indicated that the community is still considering ideas on what do to with the current school, but they say it will be re-purposed.