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( :ons(ruc(ion on the first new public high school to be built in Waterloo Region in more than 30 years got underway last Thursday with a special sodâ€"turning ceremony. "It‘s very exciting to be building something," said school board chair Ted Marâ€" tin, in light of all the talk that has been focused on high school closings in the last year. "I think it‘s very important that people see that we are looking towards the future and we are trying to build what‘s best for all of our students across the region. "School closures are very difficult, but on the flip side of that are school openings and new beginnings." The event, featuring local trustees, school board officials and the builders, helped kick off the start of construction of Sir John A. Macdonald _ Secondary School being built on a 17â€" acres site on the corner of Erbsville Road and Laurelâ€" wood Drive in Waterloo. The school is slated to open in September 2004 and will welcome about 1,400 new students in its first year of operation. Construction begins on new Waterloo high school The school project is being headed by the Archiâ€" tect firm of Rieder, Hymâ€" men and Lobban inc., which also was behind the building of the new St. Mary‘s Catholic secondary school in Kitchener. The project is expected to cost $27 million when construcâ€" tion costs and furnishing costs are totalled in. The first new public high school to be built in Waterâ€" loo since Bluevale collegiate institute opened its doors 30 years ago, Sir John A. Macdonald will feature some unique design eleâ€" ments to incorporate some of the vocational programâ€" ming that will come to the school when University Heights shuts its doors next Some of those design elements include special labs for students studying food preparation and autoâ€" motive and looking to enter By Bos VrBanAc _ Chronicle Staff â€" Public school board officials and trustees gathered last week to break ground for the new Sir John A. Macdonald high school in Waterloo. the work force right away. _ have their own cluster 0 Those classes will be able to _ "houses" in the project. I link into each other allowâ€" _ will give them mere of: ing students to take projects _ supportive environmen from design to construcâ€" _ than the traditional class tion. room model. "We‘rte hoping that everybody will be just as happy with this school up here as they are with St. Mary‘s," said Peter Streith, the chief architect of the project. "The whole idea is to incorporate everyone into it." New to the school will be a cluster concept where a group of classrooms will be clustered around a comâ€" mon area, like in Lester B. Pearson public school that opened earlier this year, but on a bigger scale. The clusâ€" ters will be open to a comâ€" mon activity area that will have other amenities to it including shared computer stations. "It gives teachers the opportunity to send stuâ€" dents out for activities in there if they are ahead of their peers in the classâ€" room," said Streith. "You can also send smaller groups out and they will all be passively monitored by other teachers in the cluster. "It will give the teachers some flexibility in doing a number of things, and it adds another layer on to their abilities and allows for things like flexible team teaching." That will be particularly important for the special education students who will have their own cluster of "houses" in the project. It will give them more of a supportive environment than the traditional classâ€" room model. It also included work done by audiologists to make sure students won‘t be distracted by outdoor traffic noise, as well as other eleâ€" ments to help special needs students. The school will also feaâ€" "Schools are very ture a cafetorium, which _ dynamic places," she said. will be a combination of a _ "They reflect the values of cafeteria, auditorium and _ our community. lecture hall to bring the stuâ€" "They build on the enerâ€" dent body together for cenâ€" _ gy and enthusiasm of our tral functions. young people. They create The natural landscape of _ our vision for the future." the area will also be incorâ€" 03O0 This ad paid for in part by: DYNAMIC® Member: CIPF She said the next step is taking all the expectations of the people involved in the new school from stuâ€" dents, parents and teachers and making sure to roll them all out. "That‘s just beginning right now," said Telfer. Telfer, who has never been a part of a school opening project, said it‘s going to be an exciting apportunity to work with the students, staff and the community to create a new identity. porated into the design, with the school sitting on top of a hill overlooking the sports fields and a running track. "We couldn‘t take it from its raw state, but we‘ve managed to terrace the fields down so you‘ll have an excellent view from the school down to the main sports field," said Streith. "It has a bit of curve so all of the kids can sit on the one end and view the fields." The principal of the new school will be Julie Telfer, pfncipal at Bluevale for the past five years. "Schools are very dynamic places," she said. "They reflect the values of our community. MON ~WED health centres "Every Day Great Prices" Summer Sandles & Shoes Arriving Daily Immuâ€"Boost is Available Eatlusivaly M * Clarks *« K Springer * Wallabees * K shoes * Geronimo A ya )C WED 10â€"7PM. THURS â€"PRI 10 SAT 9 AMâ€"6 PM. 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