A new northeast Calgary elementary school just got one step closer to housing classes and students.
On June 12, the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) officially blessed the ground and turned the sod at the site of the future Redstone elementary school.
Much work is still to come, including naming the school, hiring staff and breaking ground.
CCSD Trustee for Wards 3 and 5, Terry W.N. Thuo said that the reasons for celebration were two-fold.
“Today we are not only marking the turning of ground in preparation for building the future of the Redstone elementary school, that will soon stand here proudly, but also a commitment to ensure our students receive the best possible faithful learning opportunity close to home in Alberta,” she said.
“We are privileged to benefit from publicly funded Catholic education and one of the only three provinces in Canada that retain this gift.”
Blessing the site before construction begins is a tradition that acknowledges the importance of providing children with an education permitted by Catholic faith, Thuo said.
The school is estimated to open in 2028 with a capacity of 340 students in Grades K-6.
Designing and building is managed by Alberta Infrastructure and facility highlights are said to include a flexible student gathering space and servery that will foster connection and community, accessible facilities, a recycling room and natural light throughout all teaching and occupied spaces, with strategically placed clerestory windows that will illuminate the heart of the school
The school will be designed to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification.
More northeast schools are long overdue: Councillor
City Councillor Raj Dhaliwal said that many schools are coming to ward 5 in the next few years, including Cornerstone high school.
“I represent this area as a city councillor, and every day, every time I’m in the community, there is just one question, when is the school coming? This was long overdue,” he said.
“Families, they love this community. They always used to tell me, ‘Raj, we don’t want to leave this community, but we need school,’ and so this is important, because now families can spend more time in the community, they will have to travel less, they can spend more time in the playground.”
Dhaliwal said that education is necessary. He foresees the students who come through the eventual Redstone school will be very happy.
“They will also be thankful to all those who fought hard to bring this school here,” he said.
On behalf of the Minister of Childcare and Education, Demetrios Nicolaides, Associate Minister of Multiculturalism Muhammad Yaseen congratulated everyone involved in the school.
“This marks the beginning of a new chapter for this community, a chapter filled with promise, opportunity,and hope for the future,” he said.
“This school will be a place of curiosity, where friendships are formed and young minds are nurtured.”
