Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools celebrated the opening of two schools in the division on Wednesday.
Although schools opened earlier this month, an opening ceremony gave staff at St. Joseph High School a chance to showcase their new school and celebrate a milestone in Catholic education.
A similar ceremony took place at St. Gregory the Great Catholic School in Blackfalds, the first Catholic school in the community.
Graeme Daniel, principal at St. Joseph High School said moving into a new school facility is like moving into a new home. Since the school opened, both staff and students are learning what’s working well and the areas where they need support.
Enrolment at St. Joseph High School is higher than what was anticipated.
Daniel said the school staff initially expected roughly 510 students but enrolment jumped to 575 students.
The school has hired two new teachers since it opened and has 34 staff members as per the website.
“I would like to be able to say Catholic education is growing, it is growing by our numbers. I think we are at four and a half per cent growth rate across the division and we [the school] are probably a big part of that growth rate,” said Daniel.
The 21st century design of the school with open spaces that allows for collaborative learning and the new shiny building might be attracting families, he said.
Adriana LaGrange, president, Alberta Catholic School Trustees Association said as Catholic education stewards, it is their responsibility to preserve Catholic education especially now when Catholic education is “under attack.”
“[We need] to ensure Catholic education remains intact and viable for generations to come,” she said.
Several local dignitaries, supporters staff and students took part in the celebrations.
mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com
