Open sight lines and private stalls are allowing students at Peace River High School to feel safer and more comfortable using the washrooms.
Over the summer months in both 2023 and 2024, the Peace River School Division completed the renovation of both the upper and lower floor washrooms at the school, removing the outdated metal stalls, and giving the entire space a much-needed face lift.
Phase One & Two
The project began with the renovation of the upper floor washroom in 2023. This space was chosen as the starting point because the upper level of Peace High contains most of the classrooms in the building. As a result, this is where students spend the greatest amount of time while inside the building, explained Principal Wade Johnson.
"We had overwhelming feedback from our students that they just felt more comfortable," Johnson said of the upper level washroom renovation. "They didn't mind the open concept because they had private stalls, and it made a huge difference where kids felt safer in the washrooms, felt more comfortable."
The lower level washroom was renovated over the summer in 2024. With just two weeks before the start of the new school year, Peace High students can look forward to more comfortable, more private, and safer washroom spaces throughout their building.
The power of student advocacy
The decision to renovate the washrooms came out of a meeting between students and the Board of Trustees. Annually, the Board meets with a Student Engagement Team, where school-selected students have an opportunity to tell the Board about their own education priorities. During one of those meetings, the washrooms at Peace High were identified by students as an area of the school building that produced anxiety in some students because of its design.
"There were kids that previously wouldn't go to the washroom at school, and this has made a huge difference for them," said Johnson.
In addition to allowing students to feel more comfortable using the washrooms, the design of the new washroom, paired with the installation of vape detectors and a security camera in the hallway outside the washroom, has greatly reduced the number of students who are using the washrooms for inappropriate reasons, such as vaping. Johnson was also quick to point out that the washroom that was renovated in the summer of 2023, and used for the entire 2023-2024 school year, still looked immaculate and is free of vandalism. He said he felt students valued the washroom spaces more now, after the renovations.
Spinoff building improvements
In addition to updating the washrooms, Johnson said the school was able to use the renovation to improve a learning space as well. When the work crew had the walls opened and the water pipes exposed, Johnson 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 high school offers their highly-subscribed to cosmetology program. Prior to the renovation, the sink had been a wish list item from the cosmetology instructor that Johnson said he was excited to be able to fulfill.
One last upgrade to the school building that will take place as a result of the washroom renovations is the installation of benches in the hallways between lockers. The benches themselves were a gift from the graduating class of 2023, but until now, there has not been a place to install the benches without creating potential tripping hazards. 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, or enjoy a break between classes.
Story submitted by Kristin Dyck, Peace River School District
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