Most students across the province, including in southern Haida Gwaii, will have their first day of school Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Students of Masset and surrounding areas, however, have an extra day of summer vacation. This is part of a commitment to provide care and excellence for northern Haida Gwaii students by School District 50 leadership.
Masset students and family will be greeted with unfinished touches, the continuation of the ongoing construction site during the day (school hours), with school entrances, driveways, Strongstart room, and daycare still under construction.
Students entering Grade 11 have enjoyed their entire high school years navigating construction zones between classes. This approach to learning will surely have positive outcomes for northern Haida Gwaii students.
The Masset School Project has included over three years of construction at the former Gudangaay Tlaats’gaa Naay Secondary School and now to be known as Daaxiigan Sk’ada Née. With September 2024 here and a soft opening scheduled for Wednesday, September 4, the community is left to reflect on the effects of prolonged construction during school hours.
Construction zones teach children how to follow signs, be careful of their surroundings and to (hopefully) avoid hazardous areas. Expecting students to participate in their classes with background sounds of drilling, hammering, or sawing teaches concentration required in the “real world.” Occasional fumes and off-gassing will build students’ tolerance for unpleasantness. Students are surrounded by vintage “out-of-wall display” heating vents, nostalgic touches that pay homage to the original architectural design of the former Gudangaay Tlaats’gaa Naay (and even more former George M. Dawson Secondary School). Learning new safe routes between rooms during school hours helps with students’ memory and concentration.
As of today, the Masset community is abuzz with the excitement about the school project. We can safely say the ongoing construction only affects the teachers, students, and staff of Daaxiigan Sk’ada Née. Indeed, with a new almost-finished school to greet their children this fall, the smaller classrooms and rapidly growing student population mean a more intimate and somewhat condensed learning experience.
Overall, we are assured the Masset School Project is a great success.
Em
Masset