School year begins with opening of new Senator Joyce Fairbairn Middle School
A new school opened Tuesday on the city’s westside, as thousands of children headed back to classes in Lethbridge and surrounding communities.
College and university students are resuming their studies here this week as well.
Official ceremonies will be held Sept. 14 to celebrate the opening of Senator Joyce Fairbairn Middle School. Education Minister David Eggen will be joined by current and retired members of the Canadian Senate as well as Lethbridge School District 51 and civic officials for the public event at 10 a.m.
Born and raised in Lethbridge, Fairbairn began her career in journalism with the Lethbridge Herald before joining the Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa. She was named communications co-ordinator for Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1981, and was later appointed as an Alberta representative in the Senate.
“Senator Joyce” became known nationally for her promotion of literacy initiatives, as well as her support for First Nations causes. Officials say artifacts and legacy material relating to Fairbairn — now living in a dementia facility in Lethbridge — will be featured in the new school.
Opening with a capacity of 750 students, Senator Joyce Fairbairn school has an ultimate capacity of 900. Behind the $23.9-million structure in Mountain Heights is a sports field and play facility which incorporates a skate plaza and pump track in addition to three play pods.
Elsewhere in the Lethbridge public schools, “welcome back” events included a “hillbilly hustle” at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, presentations by motivational speaker Levi Stanford at Wilson Middle School, and a “Lakeview’s Got Talent” assembly at Lakeview Elementary.
Opening week events in Holy Spirit schools in Lethbridge will include a special presentation Thursday at St. Paul School, selected the sponsor school for a Farm Credit Corporation program.
Then on Friday, a new “Hawks Reading Cafe” will open at Father Leonard Van Tighem School. The day will feature author talks by Coun. Belinda Crowson and Catholic Central High teacher Karin Goble, whose books were recently released.
Later, students will enjoy hot chocolate and snacks while visiting a series of booths displaying some of the books read by teachers and staff over the summer.
Holy Spirit spokesperson Anisha Gatner says the regional school division — which extends from Pincher Creek to Bow Island — expects enrolment of about 5,100 students, including approximately 350 in Grade 1.
The Palliser Regional Schools division, covering schools in Lethbridge and Vulcan counties — and beyond — is anticipating enrolment of about 8,350 students, with about 730 of them entering first grade classes. Last week, the division celebrated “opening day” with about 800 staff members meeting in Vulcan, where Palliser graduates Karen Schwartzkopf and Susan Poelman were inducted into the division’s “wall of fame.”
Across the city, District 51 officials have prepared for more than 11,250 students, about 270 of them starting Grade 1. And those numbers will grow when Victoria Park High enrolment is added.
District 51 is also expecting a construction start on its latest addition, a 600-student elementarylevel school east of Fairmont in southeast Lethbridge, later this year.
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