Perhaps this new project will inspire something similar in Squamish?
Sitting on the edge of the Pemberton Secondary School property is a lot filled with learning potential.
At the Feb. 13 School District 48 board meeting, assistant superintendent Chris Nicholson presented a draft to develop the lot into a residential housing project — with the help of Grade 10 to 12 students.
SD48 owns two lots in Pemberton, the first on the corner of Poplar and Aspen, while the second is on Taylor Road. The first lot would be the construction site in year one of the project and, depending on its success, could lead to a similar build on the second property.
"We hope that it can go beyond purely just the construction phase and wind out a whole interdisciplinary project around place-based learning where your math, your English requirement, potentially a science credit, etcetera, could be involved in doing a full program," Nicholson said in his presentation.
Once the construction is complete, Nicholson said SD48 will have the choice between selling the house (potentially to fund the second year of the project) or keeping it as a teacherage or staff housing.
"If we're going to sell and put it to market, let's teach the kids how does that work. Let's engage with a local realtor who will also work with our kids about how do you market and do promotion," he said.
The project could cover everything from staging a house to an open house to gardening.
"It gets fun to be creative about what could this mean for kids," Nicholson said. "We can provide work experience credits. We can, if necessary, create our own BAA course or board-authorized course to allow students the opportunity to be involved in construction. Depending on the kids we get and the staff member that's hired, maybe... actual college credit for construction craftworker. That would be a very good incentive for kids to continue with it."
First, the property needs to be rezoned as residential by the Village of Pemberton, who Nicholson said has been supportive of the project. SD48 is in the process of securing a builder who can work well with the students, and the school district is exploring grants and approaching local businesses for sponsorships for required clothing to keep students safe on the worksite.
Next, the principal speaks to the staff about their concerns about how the project could impact class sizes.
School board chair Rick Price asked if the students would be involved in the permit application and rezoning process, although Nicholson said much of the permitting will need to be complete before the course can start. They hope to have shovels in the ground by August.
The school district is also looking to hire a certified teacher, ideally with a red seal certification.
Nicholson said students from other schools, such as Whistler Secondary School, could commute to the building site to participate.
