John William Head Memorial Education Centre work nearing completion

John William Head Memorial Education Centre Work Nearing Completion

FTLComm - Red Earth - March 18, 1999
Earlier this year we looked at the project with the students and teachers working in one part of the building and construction workers in the rest. Major progress has been made as its time for the painters and cabinet makers to get things in place as room by room the work is beginning to show usable results.

The floor in the gym has been replaced with a new composite material that has a base made from recycled rubber with a plastic binder and then a hard surface plastic cover. This kind of flooring is expected to have a long life and if damaged can be repaired simply restoring it to the same standard as the rest of the surface while requiring no polish and the work that is associated with that process.

The sound system technicians are busy installing the public address system in the gym and the school's communication system.

The gym is one of the key elements in this community as it serves as a place to hold special events and has been out of use for eight months

being badly missed by the people of the community. Each spring Red Earth has the tradition of holding a massive floor hockey tournament that goes around the clock as mixed teams participate in a festival of fun and competition with the place crammed with spectators. One of the main fund raising events in the community are box socials and both of these activities have been curtailed during this construction process.

Nearing competition is the main entrance which has been closed off since construction began in the spring. On the right is the new main entrance with powered doors and the alarm system.

Above is the window into the new office which includes the administrative office, a teacher work room and a fine staff room.

On the right of the picture above you can see a door way, this leads to an area not yet ready for use which includes a common area that connects to the classrooms, shop, science lab and home economics lab. A new large area opening into the gym is the food services kitchen with all of its facilities which will make it possible for this school to provide lunch for the students or cater to a special event.

For many years Red Earth operates its school buses during the lunch hour taking all the students home for lunch and returning them to school after lunch. This is a unique feature to the community and adds considerably to the cost of operating the school system as their buses make two complete runs every day. Then when there are special events such as evening sports or a school social the buses are used then as well to collect students and their parents to bring them to and take them home after the event.

The heart of every school today is the library. This was the case with this library prior to the renovations with all classrooms and work areas opening into the wall-less library. This new version still retains the great high ceiling

only now with natural light spilling into the room. In the picture above left is the view of the room as you enter into the library through its main entrance and on the right hand side of the picture in the darkened area are the stacks for the books which have been in storage since spring. Marcel McKay, principal of Red Earth's schools expressed his concern about the condition of this material and was hoping that they would be able to staff the room and get materials on the shelf as well as new materials to make this room the place it once was and the kind of resource centre the school needs.

The picture upper right looks toward the librarian's work station and the story nook. Above are the carols that will eventually house computers to provide the access to CD resources and the rich information available from the Internet.

The school is the centre of this community just as it is of so many communities everywhere. This one has undergone some major changes and the students, parents and teachers look forward to it resuming the important role it has played in the past and with its increased capabilities hope that it will provide them with excellent service in the future.

John William Head Memorial Education Centre Work Nearing Completion *FTLComm - Red Earth - March 18, 1999* Earlier this year we looked at the project with the students and teachers working in one part of the building and construction workers in the rest. Major progress has been made as its time for the painters and cabinet makers to get things in place as room by room the work is beginning to show usable results.
The floor in the gym has been replaced with a new composite material that has a base made from recycled rubber with a plastic binder and then a hard surface plastic cover. This kind of flooring is expected to have a long life and if damaged can be repaired simply restoring it to the same standard as the rest of the surface while requiring no polish and the work that is associated with that process. The sound system technicians are busy installing the public address system in the gym and the school's communication system. The gym is one of the key elements in this community as it serves as a place to hold special events and has been out of use for eight months
being badly missed by the people of the community. Each spring Red Earth has the tradition of holding a massive floor hockey tournament that goes around the clock as mixed teams participate in a festival of fun and competition with the place crammed with spectators. One of the main fund raising events in the community are box socials and both of these activities have been curtailed during this construction process. Nearing competition is the main entrance which has been closed off since construction began in the spring. On the right is the new main entrance with powered doors and the alarm system.
Above is the window into the new office which includes the administrative office, a teacher work room and a fine staff room. On the right of the picture above you can see a door way, this leads to an area not yet ready for use which includes a common area that connects to the classrooms, shop, science lab and home economics lab. A new large area opening into the gym is the food services kitchen with all of its facilities which will make it possible for this school to provide lunch for the students or cater to a special event. For many years Red Earth operates its school buses during the lunch hour taking all the students home for lunch and returning them to school after lunch. This is a unique feature to the community and adds considerably to the cost of operating the school system as their buses make two complete runs every day. Then when there are special events such as evening sports or a school social the buses are used then as well to collect students and their parents to bring them to and take them home after the event.

The heart of every school today is the library. This was the case with this library prior to the renovations with all classrooms and work areas opening into the wall-less library. This new version still retains the great high ceiling

only now with natural light spilling into the room. In the picture above left is the view of the room as you enter into the library through its main entrance and on the right hand side of the picture in the darkened area are the stacks for the books which have been in storage since spring. Marcel McKay, principal of Red Earth's schools expressed his concern about the condition of this material and was hoping that they would be able to staff the room and get materials on the shelf as well as new materials to make this room the place it once was and the kind of resource centre the school needs. The picture upper right looks toward the librarian's work station and the story nook. Above are the carols that will eventually house computers to provide the access to CD resources and the rich information available from the Internet.

The school is the centre of this community just as it is of so many communities everywhere. This one has undergone some major changes and the students, parents and teachers look forward to it resuming the important role it has played in the past and with its increased capabilities hope that it will provide them with excellent service in the future.