Students at Powell River Christian School (PRCS) will have a little more elbow room this fall when classes begin.
Powell River Board of Education chair Jeanette Scott announced at the February meeting that School District 47 has entered into an agreement to sell Grief Point Elementary School to PRCS this summer after Westview Elementary School is complete.
For the past eight years PRCS has been located in the same facility as École Côte du Soleil, the French school in the old JP Dallos building on Michigan Avenue.
As PRCS’s student body has increased over the years the amount of space it has had to work with has become smaller. Currently, the school uses two portable classrooms and two classrooms inside.
According to PRCS’s website, the school is a “BC
accredited, non-profit, non-denominational, co-ed Christian school for students in kindergarten up to grade nine.” The school has been operating since 1994, currently has 63 students and the new facility will give it some room to grow.
“Grief Point is a great fit for our elementary school,” said Gino Amato, PRCS board member and father of three students. “It’s been a great experience working with the school district.”
Tod English is a member of the development committee for PRCS which is responsible for acquiring a new site for the school.
“We knew sooner or later we were going to get a site,” said English, who has four children enrolled in the school.
PRCS board was looking at two options. If the board of education had decided to renovate or rebuild Grief Point, PRCS would have been in a position to purchase the Gordon Park site; if it was decided that a new school was to be built on the Gordon Park site, then PRCS would be able to purchase Grief Point.
“It took three years, but the wait was worth it,” said English.
The added space means that the school can offer a wider range of classes than it currently does.
“We feel blessed and excited that this school has come available for us,” said Karl Kruse, school principal. School staff is in the process of deciding what to do with programs.
“We have a number of ideas, but we haven’t focused what we’re going to do next year,” he said. “We’re in the midst of surveying the parents for what they want to see at the school.”
He said the school plans call for creating a computer lab, dedicating space for developing art and Spanish programs.
Grief Point sits on a four-acre parcel with an outdoor playground and playing fields which English said the Christian School plans to make available for community use.
A gala dinner and auction is being planned for April 13 to help PRCS raise money.
