Grade 8 student Alex Arellano breaks ground at the site of the new St. John's Catholic French Immersion school, April 6, 2016. Photo by Miranda Chant, Blackburn News.Grade 8 student Alex Arellano breaks ground at the site of the new St. John's Catholic French Immersion school, April 6, 2016. Photo by Miranda Chant, Blackburn News.
London

Ground Broken On French Immersion School

With some of the students that will make up its first graduating class in the future standing by, ground was broken Wednesday on the new St. John's Catholic French Immersion elementary school.

The new $12-million facility is being built on Coronation Dr. in north London to replace the aging building on Hill St.

School Principal Karyn Bruneel says the new digs will be bigger to allow more room for growing enrollment.

"It's being built for 504 students," says Burneel. "Right now we're in around 400 students but we anticipate when we make the move into this area where there is so much construction happening we will have more families joining us."

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Dabrowski blessed the site of the new building moments before grade eight student Alex Arellano overturned the first shovel full of dirt.

London-West MP Kate Young and Councillors Josh Morgan and Tanya Park were among the local dignitaries that attended the ceremony.

Director of Education Linda Staudt says it was cheaper for the London and District Catholic School Board to build a new school than repair the existing one.

"This is going to be wonderful for our students," says Staudt. "It enables us to really meet the students learning needs, in terms of the 21st Century needs, that we are able to put into a new school and into a very nice neighbourhood here."

The two-storey, state of the art facility will include a centrally located gym and a learning commons instead of a traditional library. There will also be rooms for infant and preschool child care.

Bruneel says chatter about the new facility has been spreading like wildfire among the students.

"They talk about it a lot. Right now at our current site, we have almost all asphalt and so one of the big jokes that we are always talking about is that it will be great when we have green grass," says Bruneel.

Construction is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2017 school year.

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