Holy Spirit School may break ground on a new school as early as next year, with the Calgary District School Board recognizing the need for a fresh start as the town grows around the 30-year-old facility.
Holy Spirit School may break ground on a new school as early as next year, with the Calgary District School Board recognizing the need for a fresh start as the town grows around the 30-year-old facility.
“The prospect of a new school is certainly very exciting, ” said Holy Spirit Parent Council chair Rachel Braun.
The Calgary Catholic School Board has an elementary core school, plus 12 modular units, listed as a Year 1 Priority 2 priority in its 2018-2021 capital plan document, with a budgeted amount of $16 million.
District spokeswoman Karen Ryhorchuk said the land that Holy Spirit sits on in the east end of Cochrane is under a 30-year term lease agreement, which ends in 2023. The K-6 faith-based school opened in 1993.
The Kindergarten to Grade 6 faith-based school opened in 1993.
“To (anticipate) the further growth we're seeing in Cochrane, we do have an elementary school listed in our 2018-21 priorities, ” said Ryhorchuk, adding the district will know whether they it has been awarded funding for their “wish list ” when the province announces its next budget in the spring.
“If we get awarded the funding, we would look for a parcel of land, ” she added.
Holy Spirit Parent Council vice-chair Erin Munro Clark, who is mom to two kids, said although parents are “totally happy with the one we have now ” and “not counting on anything ” - it would be “super exciting ” to have a new space.
“I do know the school is really old. I know people who went there as kids who are now adults, ” she said. “We do have lots of kids at the school. ”
Braun echoed the sentiment, saying she has seen the population steadily increase.
“The last few years the numbers have been going up and up, ” said Braun, adding the gymnasium is small at Holy Spirit and doesn't often accommodate all students at once. “There (are) a lot of students, so it would be nice to dream about a big space … At this point, we just make things work. ”
Munro Clark said whether in the old building or a new facility, she's happy to see growth of such a positive learning environment in Cochrane.
“We're such a close community: really friendly, everyone knows each other, the principal (and) vice-principal know all the kids by name, ” she said. “(The school) pulls from all over Cochrane … it's just a really diverse group of students.
“It's just an awesome school. ”
