Sudbury Catholic breaks ground on new elementary school

With the new school, the board is using a model first implemented in the South End, where the new Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School is located on the same campus as St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School.

The new elementary school — which will be named by the school communities at St. Andrew, St. Raphael and St. Bernadette before it opens — will host 500 students from junior kindergarten to Grade 6 on the same campus as St. Charles.

Grade 7 and 8 students will attend school in a new wing at St. Charles, which is currently undergoing a $1.7-million renovation.

If it can get the funding, the board also has plans to offer Grade 7 and 8 programming at Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School in Valley East later this decade.

The one-campus model brings many benefits, Bénard said, including an easier transition from elementary to secondary school, with students already familiar with their future high school.

It's also proven to help with the retention of students entering Grade 9, she said.
“The campus model, it's just good for kids,” Bénard said. “They see themselves where this is their school — all of it.”

For parents concerned about having elementary school kids so close to their high school peers, Bénard said a fence will separate the elementary school from St. Charles.

Even the Grade 7 and 8 students will have a separate, closed-off wing at St. Charles, and will have a different lunch period than the older kids to limit interaction.

The new school, designed by Yallowega Bélanger Architecture, will be a “welcoming space” with many energy-saving, green features, such as superior insulation and windows, and LED lighting, she said.

Building a new facility will ultimately save the board money, Bénard said, because it won't have to spend so much on repairing three old schools.

She said a new name for the school will be chosen by the school communities at St. Andrew, St. Gabriel and St. Bernadette before it opens next fall.

Nancy Deni, a Sudbury Catholic trustee candidate whose daughter, Olivia, will attend Grade 6 at the new school next year, said the project is exciting.

“The schools we have right now are old,” she said.

Despite Bénard's assurances, she is a bit concerned about having an elementary school on the same campus as a high school.

“I think it will always be a concern for me, but I can understand the advantages of making the whole integration process easier for the kids,” Deni said.

Mayor Marianne Matichuk was on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony.

“It's terrific to see our school boards leading by example in putting up buildings such as this one,” she said.

“We're also here to celebrate the board's vision for a whole campus environment where a high school and an elementary school are near each other. That's so important for integration for students when they get older.”