QIKIQTARJUAQ/BROUGHTON ISLAND - The aging school building in Qikiqtarjuaq is getting a much-needed facelift. Inuksuit School, which was built in 1990 and not renovated, is getting a complete makeover and an expansion to address its growing student body.

Once the project is completed the school's capacity will be 240 students. The scheduled completion date is September 2010.

Foundation piles have been driven and gravel laid out. Everything is being prepared for the arrival of materials to build the expansion.

"They're working on the gravel right now," said Qikiqtarjuaq's economic development officer Morris Kuniliusie. "The building materials aren't here yet. I don't think they'll be here until Aug. 26, until the NEAS cargo boat gets here."

The new rooms are specialized for the high school programs Inuksuit School wasn't designed for when it was built. At the time, students from most communities had to go to Iqaluit for high school.

These rooms will be classrooms for cultural studies, sewing, cooking, science classes, computer lab, additional library space, storage space and new washrooms according to the manager of capital planning for Community and Government Services Barry Cornthwaite.

In addition, the rest of the school is getting a fresh coat of paint, new floors and improvements to the trades shop. The building's electrical and ventilation systems are being upgraded as well, bringing them up to modern codes.

The 1,300-square-metre expansion relieves Inuksuit School of concerns of capacity issues for a while. Inuksuit's official capacity is 161 students. In the 2008/09 academic year the enrolment was 146 students.

"In a situation like that, enrolment is getting to a critical stage," Cornthwaite said.

In parallel with the school renovations Qikiqtarjuaq is also receiving a new Arctic College community learning centre. The separate building will include classrooms, computer room, offices and other amenities, scheduled to be completed in December 2010.

The combined cost of the two buildings is $12 million.