R.E. Mountain Secondary School students are set to move into a brand new building this fall, on the property adjacent to the current building.
To celebrate 42 years of being in the current building, R.E. Mountain students and staff are hosting a community celebration and reunion on Saturday, April 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“It’s bittersweet,” said Paul Trattle, R.E. Mountain vice principal.
Trattle graduated from R.E. Mountain in 1990, and returned to the school in January as a vice principal.
“I was here 30 years ago as a student, so coming back has been a really great opportunity for me to one, see the place that was foundational for me, and to help that transition between this and the new, has been really great too.”
As a student, Trattle was involved with rugby, music, choir, musical theatre, and the IB program.
“Honestly, it’s really about the staff. The staff here is great. There’s still staff here that are here when I was here. It’s a hugely caring staff, and there’s lots of opportunities for kids and I don’t see that changing as we move forward,” he said.
Everyone in the community is invited to take tours of the school, view different decades of the school, enjoy food and entertainment, watch an alumni volleyball game, and go on a virtual tour of the new building.
At 1 p.m., there will be speeches by Superintendent Gord Stewart and former student and Kwantlen First Nation Chief Marilyn Gabriel.
“We’ll unveil a time capsule of what we’re putting into the new building. It’s a springboard to transition into the new building, and thank the old one,” added Trattle.
Once in the new building, Trattle said he’s most looking forward to “having all of our students in the new building.”
“Right now we have 21 portables and this building is great and all but it’s not built for 1,300 students. Having the ability to have everyone under one roof will be fantastic. The new building will be a new cultural piece because it’s very much about collaboration. There’s going to be a lot of learning spaces in addition to classroom spaces, so those things we’re looking forward to as well.” Trattle explained.
Since Trattle was a student, he said not too many changes have taken place.
“Really the heart of this place is still the same place I remember 30 years ago. It’s still a really great place for kids. There’s really great programs for sports, arts, all of that is still there. There’s a lot of great things going on here. Teaching practices have have obviously changed in 30 years, but the heart of this place really hasn’t.”
R.E. Mountain is located at 7755 202A Street, and guests are asked to RSVP online at tinyurl.com/REMSSCelebration2019.
