World-class International Education
What's happening?
Purcell International Education (PIE) is working with Westcastle Land Developments to build a world-class international boarding school in Kimberley, BC. The school, Purcell Collegiate, will be licensed as a Group 4 Independent School under the BC Ministry of Education classification scheme. The school will employ BC-certified teachers and deliver the BC curriculum to international and Canadian students in grades 7 -12. In addition to core academic courses, it will offer specialized elective classes including but not limited to the following: outdoor/environmental education; STEM-related courses (e.g. coding, robotics, Artificial Intelligence); business and entrepreneurship; and various Fine Arts classes. There will also be advanced coaching and training opportunities for student athletes in multiple sports academies beginning with hockey and expanding to soccer, golf, and other NCAA-scholarship qualifying sports. The campus master plan will include an academic building, gymnasium, and student dormitories as well as multi-purpose playing field, amphitheater, a forest farm, and various other outdoor learning spaces.
How are we going to do it?
PIE and Westcastle are building the school in two phases: phase 1 on a five-acre parcel of shovel-ready land next to Marysville Falls and phase 2 on a 25-acre parcel of yet-to-be-subdivided land on the Kimberley golf course. The school is being built to a LEED Gold standard and the campus has been designed and equipped with sustainability aspects and amenities including a greenhouse, rainwater collection system, apiaries, and solar power generation. Other feature learning spaces include state-of-the-art science labs and maker spaces, a roof-top classroom, and a commercial kitchen designed for the delivery of culinary arts classes in addition to producing meals for a dining hall capable of serving up to 300 students per day (to accommodate planned growth in student enrollment).
Where are we at now?
After months of collaborative and highly-productive work with Berry Architecture & Associates, the schematic design process for Purcell Collegiate School is now complete. Stay tuned for detailed architectural drawings and 3-D renderings including a virtual reality tour of the school and campus.
What comes next?
A project feasibility study is now underway. So is the land assembly process which has been engaged toward rezoning of the phase-1 campus parcel. Purcell Collegiate School remains on track to begin construction late this summer with a planned opening in September 2021. Check back regularly for updates!