STUDENTS and staff at Weipa’s Western Cape College are excited about the prospect of new facilities at the school, with construction to begin soon on new classrooms and sporting facilities.
“We’re pretty much at capacity right now and we need to build to cater for our growth,” said Dan Tonon, the secondary principal at the P-12 school.
“Enrolment continues to grow and we’re seeing a lot more students stay in high school rather than go to boarding school, which is a big tick for Western Cape College and what we can offer the students.
“However, that means we need to build more facilities to cater for that growth and retention.”
Mr Tonon said the school community would have already noticed the removal of trees from the school oval, with the space to cater for more car parking and a new undercover basketball court.
“The kids are excited because we don’t have a court where you can put up a shot and it not hit the roof,” he said.
“Where the current undercover area is will become a new, two-storey facility with six classrooms, including a purpose-built STEM facility.”
Western Cape College expects work to start soon on the new infrastructure as contractors prepare to race the clock to have the work completed before the 2024 school year.
“We’re optimistic but we also know that you can get delays in the Cape and it will be weather-dependent,” Mr Tonon said.
