Richard Froese
South Peace News

Open sight lines and private washroom stalls at Peace River High School allow students to feel safer and more comfortable using the facilities.

Renovations to the washrooms were done in the summer months over the past two years, states a Peace River School Division news release dated Aug. 20.

The project began with renovations in the upper floor washrooms completed in 2023.

It was selected as the starting point because it has most of the classrooms in the building and students spend most of their time on the upper floor during the school day.

School principal Wade Johnson says the upgrade has been strongly supported by students.

“We had overwhelming feedback from our students that they just felt more comfortable,” Johnson says.

“They didn’t mind the open concept because they had private stalls, and it made a huge difference where students felt safer in the washrooms, felt more comfortable.”

Washrooms on the lower floor were done in summer 2024.

The decision to renovate the washrooms came out of a meeting between students and the school board.

Annually, the board meets with the division’s student engagement team where school-selected students have an opportunity to tell trustees about their own educational priorities.

During one of those meetings, the washrooms at Peace High were identified by students as an area of the school building that caused anxiety in some students because of its design.

“There were students that previously wouldn’t to the washroom at school and the renovations have made a huge difference,” Johnson says.

In addition to allowing students to feel more comfortable using the washrooms, the design of the new washroom and installing vape detectors and a security camera in the hallway outside each washroom has greatly reduced the number of students who are using the washrooms for inappropriate reasons, such as vaping, he says.

Johnson notes that the upper washroom renovated in summer 2023, and used for the entire 2023-24 school year, still looked immaculate and is free of vandalism.

He says he felt students valued the washroom spaces more now since the renovations.

Peace High also improved a learning space in during the washroom project, Johnson says.

When the work crews had the walls opened and the water pipes exposed, he seized the opportunity to request a hair-washing sink be installed on the opposite side of the wall, in the Peace High student centre, which is also where the school offers its highly-subscribed cosmetology program.

Prior to the project, the sink had been on a wish list from the cosmetology instructor who, Johnson says, was very excited about the new sink.

Benches in the hallways between lockers were also added.

The benches were a gift from the 2023 graduating class.

But until now, there had not been a place to locate benches without creating a tripping hazard.

The washroom renovations created additional recessed areas between the lockers where benches can be mounted to the walls, providing students with a much-needed place to sit, eat their lunch and enjoy a break between classes.