After having its planned-September opening delayed, the Centre Mountain Lellum Middle school in Langford is now open for its students.
The school was scheduled to be open for the start of the upcoming school year, but the opening delayed due to supply chain issues for construction materials and labour shortages.
Now the 700-seat school will be opening for students 518 enrolled in grades 6 through 8 on Constellation Avenue in Langford.
“This is an exciting time for families on the Westshore,” Ravi Parmar, chair of the Sooke School District Board of Education said in a news release.
“The addition of a 700-seat middle school will offer students a quality learning environment with new opportunities in a beautifully constructed school. We are incredibly grateful for the support of the ministry, as well as the City of Langford that installed an artificial turf on the field at Centre Mountain Lellum Middle school for year-round play.”
Thanks to the hard work of construction workers, district staff and team #SD62.
We are incredibly excited to be opening Centre Mountain Lellum for our students tomorrow 🙌🏾
Here’s a sneak peek 👀 👇🏾@SD62_Sooke #Langford pic.twitter.com/WvOwM1cM3U
— Ravi Parmar (@rparmarSD62) November 14, 2022
The school was built to LEED Gold Standards, which is the second highest rating in the LEED building guidelines. It was also built with accessiblity features like elevators and parking for disabled people.
The provincial government gave $65.1 million in funding to build the school.
“It’s a great day when students are welcomed into their new school! I’m proud of the work our government has done to build new schools in fast-growing regions like Langford,” Jennifer Whiteside, minister of education and child care said in a news release.
“We know there is still more to do, and we will continue to work with the Sooke School District to find beneficial solutions to enrolment growth for families, students and staff.”
Centre Mountain Lellum was built on the same property as the Pexsisen Elementary school that opened in September.
“More and more families are moving to Langford, and now they have another great school right in their backyard,” Premier John Horgan, MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca said in a news release.. “Seven hundred middle-school students can look forward to continuing their school year in state-of-the-art classrooms at Centre Mountain Lellum Middle school.”
Almost everything in @SD62_Sooke newest school, Centre Mountain Lellum, is ready to go for Monday. Even the basketball hoops work. I tested them today. #sd62 pic.twitter.com/senBQnx0cq
— Scott Stinson (@10stinson) November 10, 2022
On Nov. 2, the principal and vice-principals of the school posted a notice on the school’s website for parents to let them know what to expect on the first day at the new school.
“Day one we will be meeting all students on the turf field behind the school,” the notice says.
“We will have signs on the fence with 6-1, 6-2, etc. Once all the students are accounted for, teachers will lead their students to their dedicated entrance and go right to their new classroom. We realize that students will want to see the whole school right away, but we will spread out the tours throughout the day to avoid a crowded hallway.”
Other rules include that food and drinks will only be allowed inside the classrooms, all students will go outside for the lunchbreak unless participating in a club, and strictly enforcing that nothing is thrown in the open spaces between floors.
Laura Brougham
