This aerial photo taken from a drone gives a sense of the size of the school in comparison to the other buildings in the community of close to 950 people. photos courtesy of the Government of Nunavut
Close to 300 students are expected to occupy Kugaaruk's new school as of September. With the future in mind, the school was designed to accommodate up to 450 pupils.
Kudlik Construction, which has built many of Nunavut's educational facilities, was awarded the contract in 2017, only months after fire destroyed Kugaardjuk Ilihakvik on the night of Feb. 28, 2017. A teenager was charged with arson shortly after that costly incident.
The new building, with a budget of approximately $40 million, will be 49,470 square feet, considerably larger than the former Kugaardjuk Ilihakvik, which measured 36,425 square feet.
The atrium of the building, which started going up in 2017, following a fire that destroyed Kugaardjuk School.Portions of the building will have a wood-slat ceiling. The school, being built by Kudlik Construction, carries an estimated $40-million price tag.The vast expanse of the gymnasium, among the largest rooms in the 49,470-square-foot school.The new school in Kugaaruk is scheduled to open in September. Since fire razed the community's former school, students have been forced to learn their lessons in modular classrooms and makeshift quarters at the old hamlet building.
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