French school 脡cole Au coeur de l'卯le is halfway through its first year and the community is invited to check out the innovative 'green' building on Tuesday.On Feb. 7 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. or 6 to 7 p.m., there will be an open house for potential students to register, and non-French members of the community to tour the kindergarten to Grade 12 school.Principal Michel Tardif said students and staff are settling into the school's permanent home after many years of leasing space from School District 71."Our relationship with School District 71 has always been wonderful," said Tardif. "But when you are sharing a space or subletting a space, you never truly feel that's your home, and now we're home."According to Conseil scolaire francophone de la C.-B., (French school district), the provincial Ministry of Education provided $23 million towards the school, including $15 million in construction costs.Tardif said the school receives the same provincial funding as public schools in SD71, and receives the same federal funding as French immersion schools."Any school that offers the French language, and there's a cultural component, will receive federal funds to provide that," said Tardif. "It's for the cultural activities, it's not for the instructional or the building or anything like that."There's no extra dollars and it's not federal-based."The building is open concept, with high ceilings, plenty of windows and interesting architecture throughout. Tardif calls the gymnasium the "pi猫ce de r茅sistance," as huge panel windows line the outer wall and look onto a wooded area, giving the feel of being outside."We have the windows because the forest isn't a separation of the gym 鈥� even though you participate in the gym, the forest visually is there, so we want to blend with the natural environment," explained Tardif.Classrooms have glass sliding doors connecting to hallways which Tardif said connect the learning in the classroom to the learning 鈥� like socializing 鈥攐utside of the classroom.The school has a strong focus on after-school activities like sports, and Tardif mentioned that three soccer clubs use the gym currently. It also has a FIFA regulation field, open for public use.Space for adult programs, and a pre-school and daycare are at the school as well.The building was designed to meet the highest seismic standards and received the Gold level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).The numerous windows reduce the need for indoor lighting, geothermal radiant floor heating cuts down on energy costs in the long run and the galvanized metal on the outside of the building is designed to withstand the Comox Valley's rainy weather.According to Tardif, 142 students are currently enrolled, with about 160 expected for next year. About 30 per cent of students are from CFB Comox, as families are often transferred from other parts of the country.Tardif said it's a challenge to keep the passion for the French language and culture when much of life is spent speaking English and living in an English society. Thus, he stresses the importance of an all French school."Our school allows us to fully develop all of the components in the French language and culture and I think it strengthens the belonging," said Tardif.writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com
