The next time the provincial government decides to build a school in Rocky View County, Langdon will be getting a high school.
Langdon has moved up to the top of the priority list for next year, thanks to the efforts of the community campus volunteer group that has helped get the land prepared in time.
The high school is part of the ambitious recreation area expansion project south of the shopping area on Main Street, and it just needs the government goahead to get the biggest part going.
“That’s pretty major,” said school board trustee Patty Sproule. “It was lower on the list because the Chestermere K-9 school was at the top.
“It came to the top because it’s the only school site in the Rocky View division that is site ready. For even a new school to be considered by the ministry of education, the area needs to show that there is a requirement due to lack of capacity in their present schools.
“All of our schools across Rocky View are pretty much the case. They are almost bursting as the seams. Langdon School also meets the other requirement that it’s site ready. It’s the only one as we speak that is shovel ready. They are working at the services right now.”
Once approval is given and the project starts, it would be two to three school years before it opens, but that will be perfect timing for Langdon and area kids who are in Grades 6-7 right now.
As of now, it’s undecided if the new school would be strictly for Grades 10-12 or if could accommodate junior high kids as well. The capacity will be around 900, which could ease the burden off many other schools in the area.
Around 33 percent of the students at Chestermere High come from Langdon and the surrounding rural area, so the congestion would ease off greatly once Langdon gets its own high school.
There is also the added bonus of getting some traffic off the road between Langdon and Chestermere.
“It will be a good thing in many ways,” Sproule said. “Some community consultation will be done around (the grade composition).
“It will take considerable weight off Langdon School as well as Chestermere High … (which) will be well beyond capacity by then.”
With the school the catalyst, new Ward 4 councillor Al Schule is hoping the proposed recreation facility for the same property can be fast-tracked. It would be ideal if they could open at the same time.
“They are intending to build a school fairly quickly so I’m hoping we can combine our efforts in that,” Schule said. “We do have a good trustee in the area and she’s interested in what we’re trying to do.
“I might have an ambitious goal in trying to have a rec facility done before this (four-year) term is over … but that’s my intent. It’s a long time overdue. The quicker we can get it done the happier I will be obviously.”
A new kindergarten to Grade 9 school for Chestermere should have its site ready for the 2018 deadline, and if all goes as planned, they would be next for approval.
“They are a little behind Langdon,” Sproule said, “which puts them No. 2 on the list.”
