Niagara Catholic investing $40 million into schools
Niagara Catholic District School Board is spending about $40 million to ensure its schools are top-notch.
The board has invested $10 million into building a school in Smithville called St. Martin Catholic Elementary School. Education director John Crocco said the building will be ready for September. The school will also include a childcare centre.
Our Lady of Fatima in St. Catharines is receiving $4.5 million in renovations. Crocco said the renos include the addition of six classrooms and a childcare centre.
He said the addition of childcare centres is part of the board’s commitment to childcare programs and the community.
About $16 million will be spent of school improvement projects at about 20 schools.
This includes such things asrepairing roofs, upgrading playgrounds and upgrading venting.
Crocco said he is excited to announce Saint Michael Catholic High School in Niagara Falls will receive a synthetic turf field. The field is a partnership between the City of Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls Soccer Club and the Foundation for Catholic Education of Niagara.
In addition to various renovation and upgrade projects, the school board is focusing on summer education opportunities.
This summer Niagara Catholic is offering five one-week summer camps for the first time. Crocco said he anticipates the camp will become an annual program with participation increasing throughout the coming years. This year more 300 students are attending the camp at eight sites across the region.
The board is offering math camp, numeracy and literacy, as well as a master chef camp. There Crocco said students will also have the opportunity to learn more about technology and various gadgets, including robotics.
“What is great about this is it is in partnership with the YMCA who has assisted us in training our camp counsellors,” Crocco said.
The summer camp program is in addition to summer school classes. Crocco said summer school is a great way for students to advance their learning.
Niagara Catholic is also providing classes in international languages at various schools across the region. Crocco said students had an interest in learning languages, so the board decided it was a good idea to offer classes. Languages offered include Hindi, Arabic, Urdu and Spanish, to name a few.