Athletic Centre Revitalization
I am delighted to announce that the Board of Governors has approved the Athletic Centre Revitalization Project, and we are planning for work to begin in spring 2020. We anticipate that the project will be completed by September 2021. The phasing of the work will ensure that our hockey programming and sports facilities will remain operational during the construction phase of the project.
In summary, the Tom Bredin Athletic Centre includes the Reimer Gymnasium, the Riley Fitness Centre and Dutton Memorial Arena. The core elements of the project are the refurbishment of the arena to include a reconfigured NHL-sized rink, five new changing rooms, a new ice plant and significant structural upgrades to the building envelope that will ensure the future of the arena for another 50 years. A viewing area above the new changing rooms will offer spectators a superb view of athletes while they train or represent SJR. A new expanded entrance to the building will replace the silo and provide upgraded access to the entire athletics complex, including an elevator.
As well as providing a much-improved ice arena in fall and winter, the upgrades will drastically increase the numbers of students who benefit from the facility all year round. The arena will continue to be used as a hockey rink from September to March. At the end of the season, it will be converted to a field house with artificial turf replacing the ice surface. It will serve as a multi-purpose indoor facility for all students. As a result, we will be able to play soccer, rugby and Ultimate and enjoy a wide variety of track and field events as well as other sports. This outstanding new indoor centre will prove particularly invaluable to our community in the spring. We can continue with our normal Physical Education and Athletics program on site during inclement weather, or if our fields are flooded. Hundreds of students, all playing different sports, will benefit. This initiative will help them achieve physical, mental, social and emotional wellness.
Another addition to the Athletic Centre will be two new changing rooms for our basketball and volleyball teams at the opposite end of the gymnasium. This will allow us to reconfigure and refurbish two existing changing rooms between the gym and the Riley Fitness Centre. They will be redesigned to provide direct entry to the Fitness Centre, which means we can offer members of the wider SJR community access to this facility outside of school hours.
I would like to thank all those parents, faculty and staff, alumni and friends of the School who have already donated. We have raised $4 million so far, and I invite those of you who have not yet supported this exciting campaign to make a donation that is meaningful to your family and allows you to be a part of the SJR legacy. I know that I can rely on you to rise to the challenge. Our Director of Advancement, Christina Barwinsky '86, and I look forward to meeting with many of you as we continue to reach out to our community to invest in this project.
The superb facilities that we enjoy today are only available to us because of the generosity of past generations. With your support, we can continue to provide an exceptional learning environment for our children and future generations of students. Thank you.
Jim Keefe
Head of School
SJR is proud to be accredited and affiliated with several local, national and international educational organizations.
St. John’s-Ravenscourt School was founded in 1820 principally to serve the children of the Selkirk settlers. By 1834 there were forty students, evenly split between boys and girls. SJR has inevitably grown and changed over the years since, though its success throughout has been unimpeachable. Today the programs are as strong as our reputation. A strong academic program is paired with an equally strong attention to the values of stewardship, ethical leadership, and excellence in all areas of academic, social and athletic life.