Blakelock’s Latest and Future Upgrades

Written By: Zara Ahluwalia and Madeleine Homer

Contributor: Ava Puhlmann

Photos by: Madeleine Homer

Curious about the renovations going on at Blakelock? To keep our student body well-informed, we conducted an in-person interview with our Principal, Mr. Dawson:

INTERVIEWER: What types of renovations are going on and what changes are occurring to the school?

MR. DAWSON: We have four classrooms being renovated, the library, as well as the hallway down by the lower west drama area, so there’s some new change rooms being renovated down there, storage areas, accessible washrooms, and then up in the phys-ed area we’re also going to have two change rooms renovated, an accessible washroom and some additional storage all done as the first phase of the renovations.

INTERVIEWER: You mentioned that they’re having multiple phases, how many phases were you thinking and what do they entail? 

MR. DAWSON: So there's going to be up to four phases in total. We’re in phase one right now. Phase two is going to happen next spring/summer and that's going to be a renovation of all our science labs, so that's the next phase. And then phase three and four will blend together, where we’re looking at some changes to the front facade of the school, different accessibility entrances, different lifts and elevators, more lighting, air conditioning, and a few other little things here and there, which will be over the next three or four years.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think that these changes will improve the quality of educational experiences?

MR. DAWSON: I hope so, the building was built in 1957, so I think having some investment in the school is great; it’s allowed the school to have some different spaces with different features, like glass walls that you can peer into and all those great things to freshen things up. The library is going to look fantastic when it’s done. It's going to be a completely new space, and having updated changerooms and science labs will be great, so yeah, it should add to the instructional and learning experience for the students.

INTERVIEWER: Which one of these [renovations] excites you the most?

MR. DAWSON: It’s all exciting for different reasons, right, so having the four classrooms and the library done is going to be great. It's going to look really awesome down there: new benches put in, you know more social space for students, so I’m excited about that phase and then having new science labs will be great. We'll have the newest science labs in the school board, so that’ll be excellent for the students and teachers. The more we can make this building about welcoming people in and making it accessible will be great too, so I’m kind of excited for each phase for its own reasons. 

INTERVIEWER: Do you have any plans to expand the school, either for I-STEM or just in general?

MR. DAWSON: No, I don’t think so. There's no plans to build out; there's plans to renovate the insides. 

Now, in March, students can see the beautiful brand-new Library Learning Commons, improvements to the main south hallway, new I-STEM and tech classrooms, and the brand new open learning center south of the “T.” 

Altogether, our school is being wonderfully improved for the staff and students. Mr. Dawson encourages students to approach him in the hallways to ask any questions about the renovations. 

The current renovations and future plans will further improve the school for generations to come, and will make learning at Blakelock a more enriching experience.