Vernon Christian School is Expanding

VERNON, BC – Vernon Christian School is growing in numbers and vision! Thanks to years of continuous growth, enrolment is close to full capacity. Student numbers have increased by 50% over the past decade and the school is now home to 470 K-12 students.

New spaces will include a high school gymnasium, additional classrooms, as well as parking and traffic access off of Pleasant Valley Road.

Following a feasibility study and extensive long-range site planning, the school is preparing to make way for more students with a goal to break ground during the Summer of 2025”, said Matt Driediger, VCS Principal.  

At a recent Annual General Meeting, the school society voted almost unanimously in favour of moving forward with the project. Funding will be through a combination of mortgage financing and charitable donations. A major capital campaign is currently underway to support this.

Why is it important?

The project will address key areas where the school is currently experiencing the most constraints. The high school will finally have a dedicated gymnasium. The current elementary gym will serve the school’s K-6 students, and all students will have many added opportunities for physical health and fitness. Additional classroom spaces will be added to continue delivering excellent education to current and new students. A traffic congestion solution is a much-needed addition, which is magnified during school pick-up and drop-off times.

These new spaces will serve the school well in the short to medium term. However, efforts are already underway to plan for the long term. The process has included engineering this expansion to be able to accommodate future additions.

“Our grandparents founded the school back in the 70s. Our parents expanded it. Now it’s up to us to look forward and give our children and grandchildren a place to learn and flourish for years to come”, said Gregg Douma, VCS Board Chair and alumni member.

Who will benefit?

There are numerous benefits to the North Okanagan community. VCS has long been a space where community groups can gather through facility use agreements and special event rentals.

A high school gymnasium, which community groups can readily access, will see long-term benefits to the North Okanagan. It is no secret that the community is lacking access to large physical activity spaces. Currently, the school can only accommodate roughly 10 percent of all rental requests.

Vehicle traffic along Pleasant Valley Road has gotten much busier due to the growth of the school and surrounding community. The school’s solution to address traffic congestion during drop-off and pick-up times will have major benefits on local traffic and for neighbouring properties.

More Information

Vernon Christian School hopes to break ground by the Summer of 2025. Before that happens, approximately $1 million in additional fundraising needs to be reached. If you are interested in supporting this project or being a Corporate Sponsor, please contact development@vcs.ca or visit www.makeway.vcs.ca.

Vernon Christian School was established in 1977 and is a Kindergarten to Grade 12 school that also includes a three and four-year-old preschool program. With an alumni network numbering in the thousands, VCS has been a private-education staple in the North Okanagan community for nearly fifty years.