The Portage la Prairie School Division is continuing to lobby for long-term access to part of the Manitoba Developmental Centre (MDC), with a particular focus on the Aspen Centre. Superintendent Pamela Garnham says the division has already been using the site and will continue to do so for several more months.
“We're using it for off-campus and student programming,” says Garnham. “We're having a lot of success at that location right now. Just for example, some feedback from staff is that staff are observing that students seem genuinely happy and then they're thriving in their academic settings. They feel that the student-centered mindset and suggestions using the Circle of Courage are great for the Medicine Wheel for planning.”
Positive student experiences
She says students are enthusiastic about the location and especially enjoy the gym. Garnham notes they feel productive when studying and meeting with teachers at the Aspen Centre.
“We've been trying to access use of the Aspen Centre since last year when we had the timeline that it was closing,” Garnham continues. “So, we were finally able to rent the facility from January until June. But we don't have an extension at this time. If we are able to have long-term use of the facility — and when we say long-term, we're looking like 5 to 10 years — what we would like to do is make a centralized applied arts program there. We would move our metal works, our foods and nutrition, clothing and textile, and graphic design programs there."
She explains the three large facilities attached to the Aspen Centre could accommodate these programs. That would allow the division to convert existing applied arts spaces in local schools — many of which are overcrowded — into classrooms and multi-purpose rooms.
Addressing overcrowding
Garnham says overcrowding remains a challenge, prompting the division to apply for portable classrooms. Last year, Crescentview School received two portables, and applications are in for two more each for Fort la Reine and Yellowquill schools.
“The opportunities to get portables are limited,” she says. “We're just looking at other avenues that we can use for student programming and Aspen Centre is a beautiful facility that would accommodate many things for us."
If granted long-term access, she adds, the division could also relocate its administrative and student services offices — currently housed on the Red River College grounds — to one of the MDC's other buildings, creating a central hub for the division.
Dependent on provincial support
Still, Garnham notes everything depends on the province and what spaces it would allow the division to access.
“If we have just access to the Aspen Centre, then it would be strictly used for student programming,” she says. “We would hope it would alleviate some pressures, especially from La Verendrye and Yellowquill schools, because they have two very large Applied Art spaces there, which we could convert to classrooms. This would help alleviate the stress that our buildings are facing.”
Engaging provincial officials
Garnham says the school division has taken steps to engage with the province, although no firm commitments have been made.
“We haven't had any contact with the Premier at all about this,” she says. “When the Premier was out at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon, we did give him a copy of a PowerPoint presentation that we had created last year. We had a meeting with the Deputy Minister, Brian O'Leary, and some of the ADM's as well. They asked if they could go and tour Aspen Centre. We took them over there and toured. They didn't realize how big the actual entire facility was, not just Aspen Centre.”
She says provincial officials were impressed not only with Aspen Centre, but also with the surrounding buildings, including administration offices, cottages and other facilities.
Future planning and capital concerns
“They were able to see how we were accessing Aspen Centre and the importance of it,” Garnham says. “One really nice thing about Aspen Centre is that it has a beautiful gym which we could run some middle-years classes for school basketball, volleyball, and sports. Our one school, Fort la Reine, their gym is quite small. That's part of our five-year capital plan. We would like to build a new gym and convert that into classrooms."
But capital projects in education, she says, are not currently being funded, which has forced the division to look at other ways to support student programming and relieve space pressures.
The potential of the MDC property
For those unfamiliar with the property, Garnham notes the Aspen Centre represents only about 10 per cent of the overall space available at MDC.
“The other nice thing about that area is that we could do some land-based learning with our students,” she says. “We could convert some areas into natural land learning. We would really like to do that as well. But it’s difficult for us to expand very far because we know right now, we only have the space until the end of June unless they extend us.”
She says while there have been no promises from the province, the division is working to get its attention and is preparing a formal proposal for Deputy Minister Brian O'Leary, who will submit it to Minister of Education Tracy Schmidt.
Hoping for a response
“We're hoping that, with some feedback that we have for them from the staff and the students, and what programming we're doing in there, we get some response,” Garnham says. “When we toured Mr. O'Leary through the Aspen Centre, we showed him the areas that could be turned into our metal works, another area for foods and nutrition, another area for clothing and textiles, or graphic design."
She says that if those programs were relocated to Aspen Centre, two major spaces at Yellowquill and La Verendrye schools could be repurposed as classroom or multi-purpose space.
“Our schools are full. Every classroom in every school is being used,” she says.
Student-centred programming
The spaces are being used in creative ways — whether for one-on-one instruction, student support sessions or sensory exercises. The gym has also been a key space.
“One student said, 'We really like the breaks to go into the gym.' They enjoy meeting there, they find it very personable, they find it quiet, and they get a lot of help,” Garnham says.
Support workers, she adds, have reported that the collaboration between clinical and teaching staff has helped students build trusting relationships and focus on their learning.
“Cultural activities like beading, ribbon and skirt making, and land-based programming are so important. This facility and the surrounding space give us access to all of that.”