Construction begins on Fort St. John school gym

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Construction has begun on a new gymnasium at Upper Halfway school in Fort St. John, B.C.

The Province of British Columbia is putting up to $5.7 million for the gym with the Peace River North School District contributing an additional $29,000. The school was originally built in 1960 with no gymnasium and the students currently use facilities at nearby Halfway Graham Community Hall.

The new gymnasium will be accessible and built to LEED Gold standards with construction materials and mechanical and electrical systems that minimize greenhouse gas emissions and utility costs, a government release said. The space will also be used for community gatherings and will feature a servery.

“School District 60 is excited by the opportunities the new gym will bring for our students at Upper Halfway and the community in general. The gym will allow for expanded physical education offerings year-round,” said Peace River North Board of Education chair Helen Gilbert in a statement.  

Most students at Upper Halfway are from the Halfway River First Nations Reserve and the surrounding Russian- and German-speaking communities. Approximately 65 per cent of students identify as Indigenous and many are English Language learners, as their primary language is not English, the release said.