Golden Hills seeks more classroom space at Strathmore High School

By Melissa Crispin-Piche Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Golden Hills School Division is asking the provincial government to fund additional modular classroom space at Strathmore High School as enrolment growth and expanding programs put pressure on the school’s capacity.

Superintendent Jeff Grimsdale said the school’s student population has grown from about 600 in 2020 to around 800 in 2026. Although a modular classroom was added a year ago, the school still needs more room.

“We did put a modular in there a year ago, but we still need more space for some of the programming that’s going on there,” he said.

The division’s board of trustees approved its modular classroom request on Oct. 27. School divisions submit a prioritized list of their needs to Alberta Education each year by Nov. 1, but provincial funding is not guaranteed.

Grimsdale said the division likely will not learn whether its request has been successful until the spring.

Alongside its growing enrolment, Strathmore High School has added digital arts and esports programming through a partnership with Bow Valley College. Students can take courses in areas such as esports production and broadcasting while earning both high school and post-secondary credit.

Grimsdale said several factors help determine which schools are included in the division’s annual request.

“We look at kind of utilization rates, the number of students, if there is an increase in population in the schools and programming,” he said.

Division staff review enrolment and space use figures, with input from the secretary treasurer and maintenance staff. They also speak with school principals about growth and the need for additional space.

Prairie Christian Academy in Three Hills was also included in this year’s request because of growth at that school.

Meanwhile Grimsdale said two modular classrooms approved through an earlier request for Trinity Christian Academy are expected to arrive in the spring.

For Strathmore High School, the next step is waiting for the province’s decision. Grimsdale said the division has previously gone multiple years without receiving funding for its requests.

“All we can do is send in the request, and hopefully we’ll be one of the priorities that is selected,” he said.