“We never imagined we could furnish our entire new campus! What an incredible opportunity,” says Darren Prather, Principal at Christine Meikle School (CMS), which provides dedicated programming for students with moderate to severe developmental challenges.
“We hope to apply the savings from this donation towards specialized equipment which is not normally covered by the new school funding model. Our students have specific needs and donations like these help us to meet them in every way possible.”
Thanks to a leading Energy Delivery Company that chose to redistribute its excess office furniture responsibly, Green Standards was able to provide over 200 items including brand name desks, tables, chairs and shelving for the school. The project marked one of the rare opportunities to furnish an entire campus from a single client project.
It was back in 2009 that The Christine Meikle School learned of the Green Standards Charitable Network. At the time, the school was able to replace a few broken chairs and desks. Since that first donation, they have used the program to replace many chairs, tables, and bookshelves, improving the safety and comfort of their staff and students.
Nearly 60 Years of Specialized Programming
The Christine Meikle School provides educational programming for secondary school-age students who have moderate to severe developmental challenges. Its comprehensive programming includes functional academics, work experience and activities of daily living, adaptive physical education, fine arts, assistive technology, augmentative communication and sensory motor development.
The school was named in honor of Mrs. Christine Meikle who founded the local and provincial associations that worked with developmentally challenged individuals. She was also instrumental to opening the first public school for special needs students in her own home in 1953. For her leadership and work, Mrs. Meikle was awarded the Order of Canada.
Her legacy lives on in the current facility which was built nearly 60 years ago in 1957. Today, the Christine Meikle School continues to support students with complex needs and has shown leadership in the area. It currently has a student body of about 70, but anticipates an enrollment increase that will bring their numbers closer to 125. To accommodate the growing student population and its specialized needs, Alberta Education and Alberta Infrastructure have provided funding to build a new school, scheduled to open in 2016.
