How CDI Crafted Flexible Learning Environments at Drayton Valley Christian School and HW Pickup Schools’s Powerhouse Campus

In the small river town of Drayton Valley, Alberta, where the North Saskatchewan River winds through the landscape, a transformative educational initiative is underway. 

In 2019, the Wild Rose School Division (WRSD) announced a bold plan to relocate Drayton Valley Christian School and HW Pickup School to the newly constructed Powerhouse Campus, marking a significant milestone for the growing educational community in Drayton Valley, Alberta. 

The relocation provided the perfect opportunity to rethink the school’s learning spaces and create an environment that supports modern education while reinforcing the school’s core values of faith, community, and academic excellence.

The shared campus would unite students at different stages of their academic journey, fostering a dynamic learning environment centered on flexibility and collaboration. For Drayton Valley Christian School and HW Pickup School, the transition was more than just a change of address—it was a chance to reimagine learning spaces to support diverse learning styles and accommodate future growth.

At the heart of this transformation is a partnership with CDI Spaces, a company that has played a pivotal role in bringing the school’s vision to life.

Learning Flexibility by Design

The vision for Powerhouse Campus centered around creating a flexible learning environment that could adapt to the diverse needs of its students. “When we approached the furniture design, we aimed to keep it as flexible and open as possible to support different learning styles,” explained Jen Lefebvre, Director of Instruction for WRSD. 

With students ranging from pre-kindergarten to Grade 8, Lefebvre and the school administration teams needed to design spaces that would cater to both early learners and middle schoolers while maintaining a cohesive yet versatile learning environment. “We had to view students as individuals, designing spaces that worked for both the little ones and the big ones,” she emphasized.

The scale of the Powerhouse Campus project made it the largest endeavor WRSD had ever undertaken, serving more than 675 students across two schools. This required careful coordination between teams of principals and educational staff to ensure that the new building would meet the functional and instructional needs of its students. The goal was not only to create a modern, aesthetically appealing space but to ensure it provided the flexibility to support various teaching styles and student preferences.

Having successfully partnered with CDI Spaces on four previous school builds, WRSD knew they had the right collaborator for this complex project. CDI’s expertise in educational design guided WRSD through the planning process, ensuring that the new spaces would evolve alongside the students' needs, fostering both individual and collaborative learning experiences.

Designing with a Trusted Partner

With CDI Spaces already a proven partner, WRSD was confident in their ability to bring the Powerhouse Campus vision to life. 

“When we were designing the school across the field at Evergreen Elementary, Craig Ward from CDI helped us shape a vision that has carried through the last four school projects,” said Lefebvre. The collaboration for Powerhouse Campus was no different—a true partnership focused on creating functional, dynamic learning environments tailored to the student’s needs.

The design process began with in-depth consultations. CDI's team worked closely with school staff to review the functional design of each space. Every detail, from classrooms to common areas, was carefully considered to ensure it would foster student learning and encourage collaboration. “We walked through the building plans room by room months before construction, involving key people—teachers, principals—to select the right desks, learning centers, and bookshelves,” Lefebvre explained.

Bringing It All Together

The learning spaces at Powerhouse Campus were designed with flexibility at the forefront, ensuring they could serve students from kindergarten to Grade 8. “The school is designed with a lot of flexible space, a lot of space that can be used in different ways,” explained Lefebvre, noting that this approach would allow teachers and students to reconfigure the spaces as needed to enhance engagement and collaboration.

 “With CDI, we had a lot of choice,” said Lefebvre. “We looked at whether we wanted tables or desks, a combination of heights for different grades, and we incorporated a lot of movable furniture to keep things flexible.” 

Much of the furniture comes on wheels, making it easy to rearrange classrooms depending on the day’s activities. The flexibility extended beyond traditional desks, with foam soft seating to encourage movement and collaboration, and chairs with rockers to provide students with subtle, calming motion while they learn.

“We had to ensure that our early learning environments suited younger students and that our middle school learning environments were especially flexible because our middle school kids come in all different shapes and sizes,” shared Lefebvre. The result is a set of classrooms and shared spaces that reflect the diverse needs of the student body, providing teachers the freedom to customize their spaces and meet the evolving demands of their learners.

A Space That Wows

Since the opening of the new Powerhouse Campus, the flexible design of Drayton Valley Christian School and HW Pickup School has left a strong impression on students, staff, and parents alike. The open, adaptable nature of the facilities has quickly become a favorite feature, offering an environment that encourages movement, collaboration, and choice. “They love that they can pull up a chair and watch a volleyball game. They love that they can work in small groups and come in and out of the learning commons. They like that they can choose different seating within their classroom,” said Lefebvre

Even after six months, the flexibility of the classrooms is still being tested and refined, with teachers constantly experimenting to find the best configurations for their students. “We keep moving classrooms around to find the right fit for students,” Lefebvre shared. 

This ongoing process of adapting the learning environments highlights the versatility of the space, giving educators the ability to continually optimize their classrooms based on student needs and teaching methods. The flexibility not only supports the day-to-day functionality but also allows teachers to reflect on how to best meet the evolving needs of their students.

Looking ahead, Drayton Valley Christian School and HW Pickup Middle School see even more potential for growth and improvement. “Our future plans at Powerhouse Campus are to keep refining and using the spaces we have to continue to grow as our community grows,” Lefebvre added. 

As the school expands and the student body evolves, the flexible design of the campus will continue to support the learning experience, ensuring the spaces remain as dynamic as the students who use them.