The Kamloops-Thompson School Board Looks Forward to Working with Station One Architects to Design Pineview Valley Elementary School

On February 22, 2023, the Kamloops-Thompson Board of Education received a funding announcement from the Ministry of Education and Child Care to support a new elementary school in Pineview Valley.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care announced $65.3 million for a new 485-seat elementary school in Pineview Valley. The new school will serve students from Kindergarten to Grade 7 and includes the neighborhood learning centre, which will be used for programs and services, including child care, which benefit the broader community.

This school had been on the Board’s capital plan since 2014-2015. At the time, space pressures in South Shore schools emerged due to new developments, incoming families, and ever-increasing student enrolment in district schools. Now, these space pressures are urgent as McGowan Park Elementary School is at 160% capacity utilization.

“We have been working closely with the McGowan Park staff and parents to manage these burgeoning space pressures,” said Board Chair Heather Grieve, “We are relieved to have received a funding announcement and excited to establish the Pineview Valley Community Engagement Committee.”

On April 17, 2023, at the Regular Public Board meeting, the Kamloops-Thompson Board of Education approved the establishment of the “Pineview Valley Engagement Committee” comprised of community members, district and school staff, parents, and community partners to provide input to the School District. This group will meet to review early designs of the school and to provide input into the educational value of certain design features.

“We have had positive experiences working with Station One Architects on capital projects including the current Parkcrest Elementary rebuild, and the completed Valleyview Secondary expansion,” stated Director Art McDonald.

Station One Architects is a team of over 50 diversely skilled experts who will support the district in design of the plans for the school, landscaping of the school grounds or landscape architecture, project management, and interior design.  They have experience in working on education projects and community facilities, which made them a perfect fit for the planning, designing, and visioning of our new school in Pineview Valley.

“In June, 2021, I was fortunate to join a Zoom call in which there was a virtual ‘community reveal’ of the new Parkcrest Elementary School,” explained Superintendent Dr. Rhonda Nixon. “It was inspiring to witness students’ and staff members’ excitement as they watched their new school unfold in front of their eyes in three dimensions on their virtual walkthrough.”

“Station One Architects is very excited and proud to have been selected for the design of the new Pineview Elementary School. We have had a wonderful experience working with the Kamloops School District staff, educators and the broader community on the Valleyview Secondary Addition and the Parkcrest Elementary School and look forward to pushing the envelope further on Pineview Elementary. The unique contours of the sloping site along with exciting provincial initiatives like enhanced greenhouse gas reduction, incorporation of mass timber and new 21^st century learning design features will surely result and a unique design serving Kamloops students and the local community,” said Justin Dyck, Principle Partner from Station One.

Pineview Elementary School will be sustainably built using mass timber. It will also include greenhouse gas reduction measures that will set the building's emissions at least 50% lower than the current LEED Gold Standards. In addition, the school will be built with a climate-resilient building design that will better equip the school to stay cool during extreme heat. Construction on the school is anticipated to start in spring 2024 and open in summer 2026.