It may look like a huge spaceship has landed in an industrial area in southeast Edmonton, but it is something far more earthly—the Davies LRT Station.
The only elevated station on the southeast leg of Valley Line LRT serves as a connection hub for several bus routes and more than 1,000 park and ride spots for transit riders.
One of the first photos taken outside of W.P. Wagner High School, [ca. 1970]. (Image courtesy of wpwagneropenhouse.ca)
W.P. Wagner, June 1964. (Image courtesy of City of Edmonton Archives, EA-311-2)
Students at W.P. Wagner High School, [ca. 1970]. (Image courtesy of wpwagneropenhouse.ca)
Volleyball at W.P. Wagner High School, [ca. 1970]. (Image courtesy of wpwagneropenhouse.ca)
Hairdressing at W.P. Wagner High School, [ca. 1970]. (Image courtesy of wpwagneropenhouse.ca)
A staff member at W.P. Wagner High School, [ca. 1970]. (Image courtesy of wpwagneropenhouse.ca)
Davies is located within an industrial area and surrounded by businesses. Nothing unusual there. But what is somewhat unusual for an industrial area is a high school.
W.P. Wagner High School is a brief, five-minute walk from the station. The school’s nearly 1,500 students come from Mill Woods and other parts of Edmonton.
The school opened in 1969 and was named for William Phillip Wagner, a former Superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools with a reputation for, at the time, progressive values when it came to education.
When Wagner opened, it was a vocational and trade school. Students, who for any number of reasons were not succeeding, were sent to Wagner. But in the 1990s, the school changed to become focused on science and technology. And as of 2022, Wagner offers a science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, program—something brand new and unique for Edmonton.
Wagner’s website describes it this way: “Through immersive, hands-on learning, the STEM program will offer students a deeper understanding of each of the STEM fields and work on projects that require creative and innovative solutions. The focus will be on learning new and inventive ways to approach real-world problems through brainstorming, prototyping and testing cycles.”
Tim Boan is the new principal at Wagner and has to be on top of a changing and challenging reality.
“We are not in a typical residential area here. We are surrounded by businesses,” he says. “But with the STEM program, we’ve already had businesses reaching out to us to be involved. Now there’s much to explore for kids. We have to open doors. I think that’s what STEM is going to do, and the LRT is opening a door. This station will open a door for a lot of kids.”
“Our school is built by its people. Our staff is exceptional, our students are creative,” says Dave Tran, an assistant principal at Wagner. “And really the work they do together is magical. And so when you think about the LRT and the possibilities that it can bring to not just our school, our community here in the Davies area, but to the southeast area, to Edmonton in general, it’s going to bring people together. And if our area and our school are built on people, it’s just going to explode in a positive way.”
And Tran sees enriching student activities becoming a lot easier: “For our phys ed program, we have to drive to our tennis courts now. With the LRT, it makes it more accessible to hop on that train to head on over to the rec centre… or for our arts students who want to go to the art gallery downtown, the possibilities are endless. But it also reduces the cost, which is a big, big thing.”
School officials are a little unsure about how increased accessibility will change Wagner’s demographics, but Tran sees nothing but benefits.
“The LRT is going to create a lot of opportunities to bring more businesses into our area, more families into our area, more kids, more vibrancy, more excitement into our area,”he says. “And I’m looking forward to that. And it’s a beautiful, beautiful station.”
