Weledeh Catholic school's grand opening
Glen Vienneau
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 24/00) - After one year of continuous disruption because of construction, staff and students at Weledeh are settling in to a brand new school.
"You're not worried about the walls leaking or the windows not opening," noted John Murphy, principal of the Weledeh Catholic school.
While the bulk of construction was completed in time for the schoolyear in September, crews are still completing minor details Murphy expects to be completed by December or early January.
This includes last minute work such as the placement of the movable dividing wall in the Norm W. Byrne Gymnasium.
As it is, the gym covers 20,000 square feet.
"It's one of the largest indoor spaces in the North. It's definitely the largest gym in the Northwest Territories," said Murphy.
But, the school offers more than the gym and 11 classrooms. In addition, there are specialized drama, computer, literacy, music and radio rooms.
Also, the school has a library, a canteen and a combined science and art room. Murphy said seven art beautification projects under way will add to the school's design.
"To actually create a building that was a work of art so you didn't have to go out and purchase art just to make it look beautiful is quite an accomplishment," said Murphy.
"The building itself with the glass, the openness, the skylight, the curbed walls, the open corridors, the magnificent gym those type of things have made the building a work of art itself," he added.
The design is said to also benefit those suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, (SAD). "All of this glass, all of this daylight that we get has made me a happier person," said Belinda Greene, who teaches Grade 1. Not only does the new design help her with her illness, the new building means not worrying about lack of space or parts of the building crumbling down.
"You can have the fanciest building in the world and if the people in it are not nice people, it's not going to work," said Greene.
Jackie Rocher, who had attended Kindergarten to the beginning of Grade 7 in another school is happy that her family allowed her to switch to Weledeh this fall.
"I spent three days in Grade 7 at another school, then I realized this was a better school, so I came here," Rocher said.
She was among the 70 new students than came to Weledeh this fall. Students either came from different schools or from out of town, said Murphy.
