Renovations at St Pierre Jolys school make room for robotics, music programs

A St Pierre Jolys school revealed new upgrades for students and teachers, including a dedicated robotics classroom, gymnasium and its renovated auditorium during a Nov. 13 open house.

École Héritage Immersion, a kindergarten to Grade 12 school, spent roughly $180,000 on the improvements, according to the Red River Valley School Division.

Teacher Dariene Côte said the renovations allowed for the school’s robotics program to have its own dedicated classroom space for the first time. She helped set up the school’s first robotics program when she was hired at the school in 2019 and the program quickly grew.

“We started in the science lab and then we were growing, which is a good problem to have. But they (other teachers) actually needed the science lab. So we had to do some shuffling for everything to make sense because I got big groups,” she said.

Côte said she worked out a small, closet-like space for a year, with students taking their robots out into the hallway to tinker and operate.

Having a dedicated space has opened opportunities to compete in robotics competitions in Winnipeg, adding extra excitement for students, she said.

Principal Julie Karatchuk said the renovations are much needed, as some of the classrooms had flooring and ceilings lasting more than 30 years.

“It has made a world of difference for the students in those classrooms,” she said. “It just brings up everyone’s spirits.”

The new robotics classroom creates a place for students who don’t feel they belong in the arts, sports or music programs, Karatchuk said.

“When they’re (students) attending competitions and when they’re preparing for competition, right, to see their excitement in the buzz and everything that they’re learning is incredible,” she said.

She said the gymnasium got a fresh coat of paint, with new court lines and a new logo added to the space.

The new auditorium allows the school’s music program to operate “as it should be,” she said.

She said the band couldn’t practice together until the night before a concert because there wasn’t enough space for the entire band to be in one place.

Students started moving into the newly renovated space and have “absolutely enjoyed” practicing all together in the new auditorium, she said.

The auditorium previously housed the Jolys Regional Library, which was attached to the school since the 1960s. In June 2024, the school division said the library’s hours would be cut and the space would have to be used for class space as the student population continued growing. The library moved out of the space and reopened at its new location in July this year on 479 Turenne Street.

“We offer great programming to our students through the arts, through music, through the physical education and sports programs. So now for them to have spaces where they can put all of that into practice, you see the sense of pride,” Karatchuk said.

She said the school is already planning for future expansion, with a new high school classroom expected to be added in 2026.