Sullivan Heights Secondary opens four-storey addition

The new addition at Sullivan Heights Secondary brings the total number of classrooms to 68, the most of any secondary school in the district.

Students at Sullivan Heights Secondary will have 28 more educational spaces to learn in this fall as the school starts the 2022-23 year with the opening of a new addition.

The four-storey, $34.3-million expansion did see some delays due to the pandemic, but the site is ready to welcome students on opening day.

“Our board is so excited to welcome Sullivan Heights students into this new addition,” said Laurie Larsen, chair of the Surrey Board of Education. “Students and families in this The addition also adds a new outdoor basketball space for Sullivan Heights.community have been waiting patiently for this additional space, which will allow staff and students to move out of a portable and into a bright, open and engaging learning space.”

The addition adds another gymnasium to the school, as well as science labs, food labs, a digital arts studio, dance studios and multi-purpose rooms. It also features an outdoor basketball court with amphitheater-style seating.

“This addition has been purpose-built for evolving student needs, and we are proud that students will be able use these modern facilities to take their education to the next level,” said Larsen.

The expansion brings Sullivan Heights’ total number of educational spaces to 68, the most of any secondary school in the district, with seating for up 1,700 students.

Principal David Baldasso says the new addition will allow the school to move past the staggered schedule it had been using to manage the large number of students in attendance.

“This 700-seat addition means that we are no longer on an extended day, students and staff will more easily be able to collaborate, and extracurricular activities are no longer impacted by the length of the day,” said Baldasso. “These new modern learning spaces such as the tech lab, maker spaces and foods labs will also allow us to offer more choice and opportunities to students for years to come.”

The additional space is also a welcome relief for the Sullivan Heights PAC.

“We’re very excited for the opening of the new addition,” said PAC president Darrin Winning. “As one of the highest over-capacity schools in the district, this addition is both long anticipated and more importantly, welcomed."