Design work for the new Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School in Sarnia was presented to the Board of Trustees at the Tuesday, March 30, 2021 Regular Board Meeting.
“This is an outstanding design for what will be an absolutely amazing new school,” says Deb Crawford, Director of Education. “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank our User Group for their tremendous input, which has helped lead us to this first-rate school design.”
Five virtual input sessions were held with a User Group, which included students, parents, teaching and support staff from the existing Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School and support staff from Special Education, Catholic Learning Services, CLASS, Facility Services and senior administration. A session was also scheduled for Trustees and a child care user group. Alison Hannay of Cornerstone Architecture, the lead architect for the project, facilitated the virtual sessions.
Some of the features that will be incorporated into the new school’s design include:
- Lots of natural light;
- Safe and secure school;
- More flexible collaboration spaces (pods) that can be converted to fit various teacher and student needs;
- Flexible furniture;
- Collaborative spaces;
- Technology integration.
In January 2018, the Ministry of Education announced $14,371,913 in funding for the new Catholic elementary school in Sarnia. A further $2,672,104 was approved for a child care facility in the school, with five rooms and 88 child care spaces.
With the transition of French Immersion students to the new school, the Sacred Heart community will move to the current Gregory A. Hogan site. As a result, both school communities will occupy facilities that are the right size for their student populations.
“We commend the Ontario government for this funding, which will benefit two school communities in Sarnia,” says John Van Heck, Chair of the Board. “We are eager to move forward with this project.”
“Our government is listening to hard-working Sarnia families and delivering on their behalf by investing in new schools and supporting necessary upgrades,” said Education Minister Stephen Lecce. “By funding the construction of Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School, we are providing young people in Sarnia with safe, accessible, and modern classrooms that will help them achieve lifelong success.”
“It’s exciting to see all the progress that the St. Clair Catholic District School Board and Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School community are making on the design of their new school,” said Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey. “Our government is investing in our public education system to make sure every student is set up to succeed.”
Construction is expected to begin in the Fall of 2021 and be completed by the Summer of 2023.