Since the provincial announcement of a modernization of Condor school and replacement school in Leslieville in early November 2019, the Board has been exploring options to decant the students from the affected schools. After numerous discussions and planning sessions, they have decided that the best option is to decant all students into David Thompson High School (DTHS). 

In construction terms, “decanting” refers to moving people somewhere else while construction is taking place on a building or site. With two projects in the works - modernization of Condor and  the replacement school in Leslieville, the plan will be to move all students into DTHS beginning September 2020. This will allow work to begin on the school projects as soon as possible. A full decanting of Condor and Leslieville buildings ensures the safety of the staff and students, allows for a shorter construction schedule and more efficient use of funds and resources. The contractors will have a clean site for design and will not have to work around existing structures or school occupants. 

Doesn’t DTHS have to close by 2021?

We have been given a two year extension by Alberta Municipal Affairs to continue to use the existing wastewater lagoon to service DTHS. The wastewater lagoon shall cease operation and decommissioning must begin by or before December 31, 2023. We will continue to monitor the lagoon during this interim solution.

What will this look like?

We are working closely with Alberta Education, Alberta Transportation and Alberta Infrastructure to ensure the decanting solution is feasible. With this interim accommodation strategy, we want to safeguard students and staff from the demolition and construction that will take place at the Leslieville and Condor school buildings. The safety of our students and staff and continued quality educational programming remain our top priorities. 

The intent would be to move all students and staff out of the existing Leslieville and Condor buildings during the summer and prepare DTHS throughout the summer to accommodate all the students beginning September 2020.

How many students are there from K-12 in the corridor and how will you fit them all into DTHS?

We are projecting approximately 500 students from K-12 in the Corridor for the 2020-21 school year. We will need to bring in 4 modular classrooms in order to make enough space. Our plan is to have classroom areas for K-6 & 7-12, treating them as two separate schools as much as possible, each with their own principal and office staff. Although this will mean that the school will be very full, students will continue to have access to the gymnasium, CTS spaces and learning commons.

Further Information

We understand that this situation is not ideal but we ask that you focus on the long term goal - K-12 students in the Corridor will continue to be educated in their community and receive an excellent education in modern school facilities that support 21st century learning and program delivery. 

We ask for your patience and cooperation. 

A public meeting will be held in the Spring for further details on the decanting process.