Originally, two school boards and a child-care facility had looked at an opening date of January 2021 for the new double school in Espanola, but that has now been delayed.
French Catholic board communications director Paul de la Riva says they are now looking at opening the facility by the end of March break.
Before COVID-19, a deadline had been set for this past September and then it was moved up to January 2021.
However, De la Riva says the pandemic and other challenges have meant changing up the date once again.
He adds the facility will house École catholique La Renaissance from JK to Grade 12, Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School, and Our Children, Our Future Daycare.
With the building construction expected to be substantially completed by the end of February, he adds the three partners will coordinate a grand opening and a staggered schedule for relocating students and staff.
Sacred Heart students are presently housed at the former AB Ellis Public School while Ecole St. Joseph students are continuing their education at the elementary school. The French Catholic high school students are presently housed at Espanola Secondary School.
PHOTO: The formal groundbreaking ceremony for the new double school in Espanola was held back in June 2018. Attending were: L to R: Rose Burton Spohn, HSCDSB director of education; Lindsay Liske, HSCDSB East District trustee; André Bidal, president CSCNO; Paul Gervais CSCNO North Shore trustee; Lyse-Anne Papineau, director of education CSCNO; Mike Mantha, MPP Algoma-Manitoulin; and Espanola Mayor Ron Piche. The new building is located on the current Sacred Heart School and former St-Louis de France Catholic Church properties. The site will also include 50 daycare spaces in each school. This $25.2 million project, funded by the Ministry of Education, is the result of a request made by the Ministry of Education to the school boards in Espanola to work together in addressing student accommodation needs in the area. Photo by Rosalind Russell – myespanolanow.com/myalgomamanitoulinnow.com staffer