Jasper’s landscape will have a new edition in the coming month, with École Desrochers placing another portable classroom on Grande Yellowhead Regional Division’s (GYRD) land to accommodate their students.

“It’s to answer a need that we have,” explained acting principal Sylvian Roy, “We don’t have a gymnasium, we don’t have a music room or anything like that... a need to have an extra space for the kids.”

Thankfully for the students of École Desrochers, Counseil Scolaire Centre - Nord, the governing board for École Desrochers, has successfully obtained a portable from Edmonton.

According to superintendent Henri Lemire, the portable will sit on an angle, adjacent to the current portable that sits on GYRD’s land near the Jr./Sr. High School. 

Despite the school expecting “fairly flat enrollment” numbers next year, the superintendent said the classroom would be used to host a variety of activities.

“All of our rooms are beyond undersized, they’re about half the regular size or less so we needed one room for a larger group of students that we have,” he said.

“Can you think of another school in Alberta where students are in five different building?” asked Lemire “If we can gather the children in one less building - especially the younger ones - which we so happen to have because... we have an extra portable that we could bring over.”

He, like GYRD, is waiting for the new school to be built that will house École Desrochers and the Jr./Sr. High School and believes that by having another portable, it will make transition into the news school easier. 

“It also prepares us for... the movement of children because there will be a new school one day in Jasper and I don’t think it’s going to take that long,” he added noting that waiting for the new school was “frustrating for both districts.”

We’ve been working on this for a long time. Everyone at the Government level, including the minister, tells us that this is a very strong proposal and that he is supporting the proposal... it’s just a matter of yay or nay coming out of the Treasury,” he added. 

The decision of where to put the new school is still to be decided - with George Krefting, the municipal manager and Dean Lindquist, superintendent for Grande Yellowhead Regional Division, meeting soon to discuss possible options.