ADAM JACKSON/Ponoka News
The Broncs Rodeo Academy has received a boost — a $10,000 boost.
After applying for a grant sponsored by Lowes Hardware Stores, the high school has received $10,000 to fund new livestock pens at the recently opened Ag Events Centre.
The Toolbox for Education Grant is directed toward schools that are undergoing renovations.
PCHS have managed to keep their costs low and maximize the grant by building the pens themselves with the help of work experience students at Bruce Harbin Welding Ltd., where Bruce himself has been training students on the machinery at the shop.
PCHS assistant principal Ron Rarick suspects that the school received the grant because it is not only something that benefits the school community, but the pens will be available for all to use when the rodeo academy isn’t using them.
The original plan for the grant was to build an arena on school property, but after problems getting the town to agree to it, they decided to build the pens.
“We decided that when we move to the Ag Events Centre next year, we would need some stalling so that’s why we built these pens so that why we decided to build these pens,” said rodeo academy teacher Alex Cripps.
“They’ll be nice for horses, too. They have lots of space so they won’t be cramped up in a small pen,” said Cripps.
Two PCHS students have worked 120 hours each constructing panels for the pens, which were completed last week. The pens will be installed at the Ag Events Centre within the next two weeks.
“It’s a great project, the students build it, gain experience and credits and it benefits the entire community as well,” said Rarick.
PCHS was one of five schools across Alberta to receive the grant.