Christ Church Cathedral School has applied to the City of Victoria to situate a modular classroom structure at its Vancouver Street campus, according to plans filed with the municipality.

 

 

A 3,700 square foot, two-storey building is proposed to be moved pre-constructed from an unnamed school within Greater Victoria, and re-purposed along Christ Church Cathedral School’s Burdett Avenue frontage as part of a development permit with variance application.

 

COVID-19's social distancing requirements meant that the school was required to adjust its spacing of students and relocate some school activities to the neighbouring Cathedral, creating a situation for staff and students described as "bursting at the seams."

 

“Our classrooms are crowded because we had to spread out the desks, leaving no white space anywhere in the school. Our band and music classes now take place in the cathedral because we do not have enough space in the school building,” writes Stuart Hall, Head of School in a letter accompanying the application. “We have staggered the start and end of the day as well as our recess and lunch times in order to minimize the number of students on the playground at any one time. Although we are meeting all safety protocols, it feels like we are bursting at the seams.”

 

Planned south of the main classroom building at 912 Vancouver Street, the four-classroom complex would stand as the school’s sixth building. In tandem, a new playground would be created on a portion of a surface parking lot along Rockland Avenue – the school’s northern border – replacing an existing soccer pitch Hall describes as “on an uneven, poorly draining, and sloped surface.”

 

Hall also addresses the need for more childcare spaces in the downtown core as the area’s population continues to grow and families situate near the school. The school Head says the addition of a classroom building would “free up space in our current school building, thereby allowing us to offer an additional kindergarten classroom next fall.”

 

Pending municipal approvals, the aim is to have the structure on-site and readied for students by the start of the 2021-2022 school year.

 

Christ Church Cathedral School is a junior kindergarten-to-grade eight Anglican private institution, welcoming pupils from all backgrounds and at an affordable price, according to the school's description. C

 

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