Hat High shown off to elected officials
Dignitaries, including the provincial education minister, were at Medicine Hat High School Wednesday to officially unveil new renovations.
Education Minister David Eggen, Medicine Hat MLA and Speaker of the legislature Robert Wanner, CypressMedicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes, Mayor Ted Clugston, SD76 chair Rick Massini and superintendent Mark Davidson were introduced by principal Boris Grisonich, who explained the thought process behind the modernization.
“We were paying hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on heating and electrical,” said Grisonich. “Was it better to build a new school? Or is it better to modernize a portion of our school?
“We all came in thinking we want a brand new school.”
But had they opted for that, they would’ve lost many of the building’s newer amenities, like its cafeteria and “wonderful labs,” so they opted for partial modernization, Grisonich said.
Trustee Terry Riley, who began his teaching career at Hat High, presented the school with a plaque congratulating officials on the modernization.
The renovation cost $43 million, which was funded by the provincial government.
Eggen credited local politicians, namely Wanner, for keeping pressure on the provincial government to fund new projects in Medicine Hat.
“You have people in your corner who advocate every day to make sure a fair share comes to the City of Medicine Hat,” said Eggen, adding a light-hearted jab toward his colleague. “Speaker Wanner really does that job here and in Edmonton as well. He can be quite annoying, because he’s always (pushing) for Medicine Hat.”
Massini specifically thanked Alberta Education for putting “their heart and souls into assisting the design, problem solving and construction of this beautiful facility.”