Students from Liverpool and surrounding communities came together today, May 27, to celebrate the official opening of their innovative new school.

Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Karen Casey, students and staff were joined by representatives from South Shore Regional School Board and the departments of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal and Education and Early Childhood Development for the official opening of South Queens Middle School.

“This school represents many firsts for Nova Scotia,” said Ms. Casey. “It incorporates modern design with industry-leading best practices to provide an innovative learning environment to keep students motivated, promote teamwork and problem-solving, and help students connect what they are learning with the world around them.”

South Queens Middle School was designed to accommodate a variety of learning styles. The curriculum has a strong emphasis on asking questions about issues children care about, with teachers guiding and mentoring them through projects to find answers. It is one of the first schools in the province with a layout and technology designed to support this type of learning.

“It’s an amazing education facility that is meeting the needs of our students in the 21st century,” said South Queens Middle School principal Leo Campbell. “Our students are engaged and happy; they love their new school.”

The focal point of the school is its library, with classrooms built around it, so students can work collaboratively on projects near resources. The school also features a wireless network so students can use their school-provided mobile devices to find information about their studies.

It also has resource areas such as family studies, technology innovation, visual arts and a multipurpose science lab where students can move easily between work areas.

The industry-leading environmental design is targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold designation.

Source: Release