You'll notice a new structure going up beside Spruce Ridge School these days. 

The kindergarten to grade 8 school, which is located beside Estevan Comprehensive School, is currently constructing an outdoor amphitheatre that will be used for outdoor classes.

"We are going to be able to use it for all kinds of things," said principal Cheri Haberstock. "Primarily it's going to serve as like an outdoor classroom, but more for arts education classes."

Haberstock said the staff came up with the idea and the school put on several fundraising efforts over the last couple of years to collect the money and make the initiative possible, along with donations from local businesses.

"So basically it's a 25 foot circle on the bottom, and then with risers going up that people can sit on," she said. "So you can have a performance happening on the bottom, or say a teacher could be at the bottom and the students could be standing up on the risers and be singing or reciting poetry, and the teacher can be at the bottom directing them like a band teacher."

"It'll be a really different kind of outdoor classroom, because we've already got a couple of outdoor classrooms but we wanted something more for arts education."

The amphitheatre started to go up on Sept. 1 and Haberstock said she expects it to be finished in about a week at the earliest, and before the end of September at the latest.

She said there's more demand for outdoor classrooms right now.

"Children can learn so much in the fresh air, and it's just a great place in the sunshine and fresh air to learn in a different way. In a classroom...it's a great place to learn as well but it's just fun to be outside and learn different things outside," she said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic was also a factor.

She said they've been planning the project since the spring of 2021.

"We're super excited about it," Haberstock said.