Prince of Peace Lutheran School students are being forced to temporarily attend the Holy Redeemer Catholic School due to unforeseen emergency circumstances.
On July 17 the Prince of Peace Lutheran School’s fire main burst under a classroom which resulted in most of the school being flooded, said Associate Superintendent of Business and Operations Larry Paul.
“Over 95 per cent of the flooring in the main building was damaged and had to be removed,” Paul added, “Significate moisture penetration into the drywall required removal of all the lower section of the drywall and some damp insulation.”
The building was properly dried by the restoration company before repairs began, Paul said.
He added, the owner of the building and the insurance company have been working diligently to repair the school and have it reopened within the month of September.
Although everything is being done to ensure that the school can safely be reopened, students will have to attend the Holy Redeemer Catholic School in southeast Calgary until restoration work on their school is completed and Prince of Peace is cleared to be reopened Paul said.
“Most of the students are bused to Prince of Peace Lutheran School. The buses will be rerouted to the other school until Rocky View Schools (RVS) can access Prince of Peace.
“Holy Redeemer is about 11 km from Prince of Peace Lutheran school, and school is expected to be in session as scheduled. Parents that drive their students to school will need to make temporary arrangements,” Paul said.
However, changing school locations only weeks before school is in session comes with many problems, Paul said.
“The Holy Redeemer Catholic School is smaller than Prince of Peace Lutheran School. In the interim the learning commons and gym will be used for instructional space. Gym classes will need to be held outside, music classes will need to occur in individual classrooms, and access to technology will be limited,” Paul said.
He added, “The owners of Prince of Peace Lutheran School are working as fast as possible to repair the school so that the students can return. As soon as the school is safe to re-enter, and the Fire Marshal issues a new occupancy permit RVS will action the plan to move staff and students back to the school in an organized manner that minimizes the disruption to the students learning.”
Many organizations came together and worked long hours to have both schools readied for students to attend on Sept. 4, Paul added, the Calgary Catholic School District and the Calgary Board of Education were quick to offer their assistance to RVS.
“The option to use Holy Redeemer Catholic School was determined to be the best temporary solution available.
“RVS is very thankful to all those that put other projects aside or gave up personal time to ensure the 480 students that attend Prince of Peace Lutheran School have a place to go to school,” Paul said.
