New and improved
Students return to spruced-up Frank H MacDonald school
For Kristi Chisholm, walking around the newly renovated hallways and classrooms of Frank H MacDonald Consolidated school generated joyful anticipation. “The students are so excited to get in here tomorrow and so are we,” said Chisholm, a former student and now viceprincipal of the school at 123 School Rd. in Thorburn. These renovations have been a long time coming. During a school review process in 2014, the community proposed renovating the former primary to Grade 6 school to accommodate Grade 7 and 8 students from East Pictou Middle School. The plan is to close the middle school, which is in poor condition and has an enrolment of fewer than 100 students, and stipulations were put in place that the upgrades had to be completed within five years. In January 2014, the provincial government announced its capital plan, and Frank H MacDonald was included in a $99.5-million investment to renovate and update learning facilities across Nova Scotia. “To see what it was before to what it is now is really something,” said Ed Ingarfield, Chignecto Central Regional School Board project manager. The changes, which can be seen inside and out of the building, include new entrances, replacements to sections of the roof, refurbished hallways, cafeteria, gym and classrooms, which now include new sewing, woodworking and cooking workshops. There were no students at Frank H Elementary School on Feb. 3, but that didn’t stop teachers and educational assistants from putting in a full day of hard work, unpacking all of their supplies and preparing for the 330 students who go there. Renovations on the primary to Grade 8 school began over the 2019 summer months. At that time, a structural issue was identified and repaired. This caused students and teachers at Frank H to relocate to East Pictou Middle School, while pre-primary classes at Frank H were sent to Thorburn Consolidated. The first day of school for the now primary to Grade 8 Frank H MacDonald was on Feb. 4.