The teachers and staff at the new Legacy Park Elementary School in Weyburn welcomed in parents, guardians, and future students for an open house-style tour of the facility last night.

The school boasts a unique 21st-century learning environment that serves as a replacement for the three aging schools (Haig, Souris, and Queen Elizabeth), and the individual identities and culture of each student body were captured and integrated into elements of the new facility.

"Having been born and raised here in Weyburn and having gone through Haig, the old Junior High, the Comp, and then coming back to be a teacher at the Junior High and the Comp it's probably the best facility that I've ever seen in my life," explained Tyson O'Dell, one of the Vice Principals at Legacy Park Elementary School.

He stated that all of the "bells and whistles" the new facility offers are features that he has never been able to experience in person before but did say that there was something else that makes the new school really special.

"The staff here are second to none and already our first day of meetings was exceptionally productive and connection-filled," O'Dell shared. "This tour was what this place is going to be about. There's nothing to say until you've been through it and you realize that this is something that Weyburn gets to have."

O'Dell says that he was really amazed by the gymnasium and the all-school commons that he thinks will provide some amazing memories and will create traditions for generations to come.

The school and daycare centre are divided into distinct age-specific zones called 'learning communities', each of which contains a mix of flexible classrooms, breakout rooms, wet and messy areas, teacher collaboration spaces, and student common spaces that serve as community hubs for each age grouping.

Legacy Park's Music Teacher, Holly Butz, tells her thoughts on her new workspace.

"It's the best room in the whole school. There's lots of room for the kids to move and we'll be able to fill the space with music again. The children will have opportunities to play all kinds of instruments and I'm really looking forward to meeting all of the kids on Wednesday. I am psyched to be able to come together and sing again since we had to put that on hold last year and to be able to see all of the students again while building a new community of students here. This space is going to be perfect for that."

Designed for up to 650 students, all classrooms flow into a large common space complete with a performance stage, media center, and amphitheater seating for student assemblies as well as performances and community meetings. The rear of the stage also opens to the gymnasium to provide additional flexibility.

A Grade 4 student meets her new teacher Mrs. Stephanson.

"It's absolutely phenomenal and it's just a wonderful space for everybody to move forward with," expressed Raven Daer, one of the parents of a future Grade Two student that will be attending the new school. "I'm super excited. I think the upgraded spaces stood out the most to me. Like the gym facilities, the computers, and the music room."

Daer added that her daughter is most looking forward to the playground at Legacy Park which features gathered play structure pieces from all three of the now shut down elementary schools in Weyburn.

The front entrance of Legacy Park connects to the Credit Union Spark Cultural and Recreation Centre. That facility includes an indoor turf field, a track surface that goes around the indoor field, multipurpose rooms, the MNP Play Centre for kids, an outdoor ice surface, a mini-gym, and change rooms.

While Legacy Park Elementary is a massive 7,483 square foot facility children will be able to easily find their way to their classrooms and various other parts of the school due to their color-coded sectioning of the building.

Staff prepare for their final meeting of the day.

The 2021-22 school year begins on Wednesday, September 1st and anyone interested in more information can contact the school at (306) 842-4300.

You can also find more details on their official website and you can follow them on Facebook as well as on Instagram.