Leamington councillors are thrilled after getting a first look at floor plans for the town's new public high school at their meeting Monday night.
Leamington District Secondary School Principal Kyle Berard says the main entrance will see students walking into a two-storey glassed atrium.
"The way it was designed was like a university student centre," says Berard. "No more traditional cafeteria tables, very welcoming, lots of natural light, lots of consideration to traffic flow."
The building plans show more room for expanded programming, but a notable exclusion was a running track which students enjoy at the current LDSS location.
"There are things that stand in the way, mainly money and space," says Berard. "Of course if someone wanted to donate $1.5-million, we would put the track on the existing site. We have limitations from ministry funding and that's where we stand at this point."
The school is being built to accommodate a thousand students and Berard expects the facility to have a life span pushing the 60-year mark. Construction is expected in 2016.
Floor plan drawings for the new Leamington District Secondary School building. (Photo courtesy Kyle Berard)
Floor plan drawings for the new Leamington District Secondary School building. (Photo courtesy Kyle Berard)
Artistic concept of the new Leamington District Secondary School building. (Photo courtesy Kyle Berard)
Artistic concept of the new Leamington District Secondary School building. (Photo courtesy Kyle Berard)
Artistic concept of the new Leamington District Secondary School.(Photo courtesy Kyle Berard)