Learning Centre starting to spring up at QMS

School student ambassadors Liam Watts (Grade 8) and Gillian Duta (Grade 1) are digging it, as they help break ground on the new Queen Margaret's School Learning Centre Wednesday, supervised by head of school Wilma Jamieson and Linda Love, the vice chair of the QMS board of governors.

Don Bodger

Share this story

Tweet

The former tennis courts at Queen Margaret's School are being transformed into a state-of-the-art learning centre.

Construction on the intermediate school facility is already under way, but Wednesday's groundbreaking event officially launched the project toward a fall 2013 completion date.

"It's just a great boost for the school,'' said Wilma Jamieson, the QMS head of school.

The centre will offer a bright, environmentally-friendly learning situation for QMS students, centrally-located on the school grounds.

Classrooms in the facility will be used as homerooms for the intermediate students. Specialty teachers and the Learning Assistance Department will benefit from the expanded learning space and a new library is an important feature for all students to utilize.

"We'll have all the amenities and certainly all the access to technology,'' said Jamieson.

"It's part of the final step of the campus revitalization plan.''

It'll also serve as a significant meeting place, rather than the gymnasium or dining hall. "It'll be great even for engaging with our parents,'' said Jamieson.

After the building's completed, "then we'll look at residences and fine arts is another area we'd like to look at as well,'' she said.

Other locations are being considered to relocate the tennis courts and the adjacent playing field will undergo a facelift.

"This plan allows us to expand our playing field into a full-size playing field for soccer,'' said Jamieson.

The building won't quite be completed in time for the start of the next school year.

"We're thinking a year, towards the end of October next year,'' said Jamieson. "It's hard to know. It depends how construction goes over the winter.''