Members of the Board of Trustees held their March meeting at the new Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School in Sarnia this week, following a tour throughout the new school building. The tour was led by Gregory A. Hogan Principal Derek Morrison and Vice Principal Tina Jarvis.
“This was the first opportunity for our Trustees to see this beautiful new facility for themselves,” says Scott Johnson, Director of Education. “They were definitely impressed by this magnificent showcase for Catholic education in Sarnia.”
“It’s unbelievable,” says John Van Heck, Chair of the Board. “I know we saw it on paper. We saw it on computer screens over the years. It looked great then. But you don’t really get a sense of the beauty of this school until you actually come into it.”
The new 659 pupil place school is an investment of $21,833,171 from the Ontario government, with an additional $4,589,154 in funding for a five-room child care centre. Also included in the funding is a $200,000 donation from the Hogan Family, to support an expanded 900 square foot community room directly off the main foyer.
“Oh, it’s absolutely wonderful,” says Linda Ward, one of two Trustees representing Sarnia. “The colours are absolutely beautiful. It’s fresh and clean. The technology is amazing. Children are going to thrive in this school. It’s a blessing!”
“We are just so happy to be in this new state-of-the-art school,” says Sarnia Trustee Jennifer McCann. “It’s a beautiful, big new school that’s going to be home to a lot of students – and it’s going to be wonderful!”
The school opened to staff and students on March 18, 2024. The former Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School facility on Hogan Drive will be refurbished and upgraded and will reopen in September 2025 as the new home of the Sacred Heart Catholic School community, currently located on Lecaron Avenue. In the meantime, work on St. Clair Catholic’s other new school project continues. St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School will open in south Chatham in September 2024.
Opening and blessing ceremonies for both schools are being planned for October 2024.
