SCHOOL GROWTH PLAN
Texada Elementary School, now the only school on Texada Island, is located in the village of Van Anda, in what was once a fully functioning secondary school, housing grades 8-12. At one time, Texada had an elementary school in each of the 3 villages on the island, and as needs and demographics changed over the years, a decision was made to move secondary education to Powell River and move the remaining elementary students into the existing high school, as it was the largest, newest and best outfitted building.
Since 2003, Texada Elementary has been housed in the former high-school building. As it was built for secondary students, some modifications were necessary in order to meet the needs of younger children. The science lab was reconfigured to become a spacious primary classroom, blackboards were lowered, and some lockers were removed and replaced with primary friendly hooks and shelves. The "Home-ec" room was redesigned for use as a shared gathering space, though it still houses two ranges, a refrigerator, freezer, washer and dryer to facilitate a hot-lunch program and student baking/cooking lessons. A half-dozen sewing machines remain so that students and teachers can complete sewing projects on occasion, and the room lends itself well to completion of large-scale art projects, sock-hops, shared meals, and schoolwide activities. Other changes made to the building over time include building a pre-school space and a community-owned commercial kitchen, and what was once a large, fully functioning woodworking, metalworking and drafting room were transformed into a beautiful, sound-proofed band room and a community owned pottery studio.
Texada Elementary enjoys the use of a full-scale gymnasium that includes an impressive bouldering wall for student and community use, a relatively well stocked library, and full computer lab outfitted with individual student laptops and desktop computers. Staff and students are fortunate to have flexibility in the school space, and despite a very small student population, there is a tendency to use all parts of the building.
Because Texada students live in a somewhat isolated community, there has long been a focus on providing an abundance of unique opportunities for the island's children. Community volunteers frequently engage the school in a variety of activities and projects, from photography, music and choir, to baking, cooking and pottery lessons and more.
Read the full School Growth Plan: