Four Winds Public School officially opens

FWPS Principal Dan Requa and Vice-Principal Dan Stephen greeted Kaden Kinjerski and other students at the Grade 9 entrance to the school.

by Lucie Roy

The Four Winds Public School (FWPS) opened Dec. 6 at 7:55 a.m. to more than 300 Grade 5 to 9 students excited to see the new school and their new classrooms.

Parents were welcome to take a tour of the school in the afternoon after classes.

The school, with a capacity for 600 students, is located at 545 Grandin Drive, across from the Notre Dame Park.

Sturgeon School Division held a ceremonial sod turning for the school in June of 2018.

The Four in Four Winds represent four seasons and four elements on the medicine wheel. The Winds represents four directions of the world.

The design of the school includes studios for dance and drama instruction, in addition to classroom pods for robotics and technology.

The Division said the interior design is an open plan theme and is intended to help provide expansive learning. Teachers and students will be able to free flow so they can use the open space as well as the classrooms.

Four Winds has special areas to honour individual women who were lifelong advocates in education. In addition to the Thelma Chalifoux Learning Garden (named after the late Senator), the Audri Kowalyk Science Labs, the school will have the Donna Hunter Learning Commons, the latter named after the former Morinville resident who fought for a non-Catholic-based public school in Morinville seven years ago.

Principal Dan Requa and Vice-Principal Dan Stephen greeting students to the school.

27 Comments

  1. The kids love the new school however I am concerned about the washroom and locker room………no gender? I wonder how the girls will deal with boys missing the water and peeing all over the seats.

    • Tiffany Ann what?! I did not know this! That’s is complete bullshit. I wonder how many girls will be “raped” in shared bathrooms….

    • I’m just worried a bit because now our girls have no sanitary bins and I’m worried about how this may affect other girls as well that never grew up with a boy or man in the house and toilet seats up or peed on. I don’t know wish we had a say a bit about it.

    • No girl wants a boy to hear them changing a crinkly tampad..just a thought. Are they all no gender bathrooms? Some kids especially at that age are extra paranoid.

    • Debbie Sue I’ve been in girls soccer center bathrooms all over AB for 25 years. They are DISGUSTING. I’ve never seen such disrespect in washrooms. If your girls are tidy that’s great. Guess what? None of my boys peed on the seats at home.

    • Wendy Rudiger that’s great. I’m sure girls don’t leave pads on the floor at home either, and I’m sure the school is equipped to deal with issues as they arise or as the parents mention it.

    • Tiffany Ann your concerns are warranted for sure Tiffany. You are not alone in your concern with this matter.
      My gosh just last year was the me too movement and now this; boys and girls share a bathroom and change room…. No this isn’t home it’s a public place! 🤦‍♀️

    • Debbie Sue yes I’m sure the school will deal with the issues as they arise as they do with bullying and pink shirt day… (yes that’s sarcasm as we know bullying doesn’t get dealt with within the school; we will all just throw on a pink shirt)
      Hmmm what colour shirt will be choosen for the new issues to arise with school age children sharing these non specific gender bathrooms and change rooms???
      Everything about this is just wrong.
      Respectively coming from a person who appreciates the difference between male and female.

    • Lori Tailleur my highschool kids are at MCHS and use the gender neutral washrooms and they haven’t had any issues. The stalls are very private.

    • Lori Tailleur all the ones I’ve used watching basketball games are gender neutral. The stalls have doors that go to the floor.

    • Debbie Sue good to know…. so still your own stall cause Lord knows boys and girls are each their own gender….
      Just don’t want to see anyone confused by that and especially our young minds we are raising.
      I know as a parent and grandparent I’ll stay on top of that for our children. 💞

    • Debbie Sue my point is, your comment about how girls may feel about boys peeing on toilet seats. My point is you pointed out only how girls may feel. You didnt consider at all how boys may feel. I know girls can have disgusting habits in public bathrooms as well.

    • Wendy Rudiger I’m not the one that said that, read the above comments again. I have 1 teenage daughter and 3 teenage sons. At home they’re responsible for cleaning their own bathrooms.

      Washrooms need regular cleaning, kids can be taught to keep them tidy.

      At my garden centre I’ve only had an outhouse- gender neutral, I’m putting in a real washroom soon and it will also be gender neutral. I don’t think it’s a big deal.

      As I said before if there is an actual issue, not a presumed issue – this appears to be a beautiful new school (and all anyone can talk about is “shocking” gender neutral washrooms) I’m sure the school staff will be open ears .

    • I mean I’ll admit I don’t agree or believe in this whole ‘gender’ thing going on recently, but a bathroom’s a bathroom, if there’s private stalls, who cares.

  2. Very happy with the new school otherwise… and applause to all the hard work/labor/planning that went into it by all. Well done!

    However,
    If a group of people can squeak loud enough to have everything non gender and get it… how come those who wish to have specified gender washrooms or change rooms can’t have them? Maybe the girls need to start a committee for female rights… and why are there no crosswalks when it was obvious months ago in good weather that they would be needed….?

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