Proposed boundary changes could have local Catholic school students attending different schools in the future. Karl Germann, Superintendent of Grande Prairie Catholic Schools, says the board passed a motion Monday night to change the boundaries to allow for the opening of the Royal Oaks school.
“The Junior High students from St. Gerard will likely be moved to the Royal Oaks school for two years. The purpose is that the St. Gerard school is experiencing overcrowding and [this change] will allow more flexibility inside that school.”
Germann says the proposed change would have Junior High students held on a separate floor and this would allow for kids to stay within the French Immersion culture that St. Gerard provides. He adds if the plan goes through, the change would only be temporary and come into place the 2016-2017 year.
In addition to the changes at St. Gerard school, there could be changes coming to Mother Teresa school.
“What the board decided to do was to possibly move the grade 7 and 8’s up into the Holy Cross region for a period of a couple years, so they can finish building an expansion on that school.”
Royal Oaks school will have additional programming with the opening of the school. YMCA programming will be one of the child care options for parents in the entire community. Germann says this will help with over-crowded Holy Cross, St. Kateri and Mother Teresa YMCA programs that are already in place. The second portion of programming coming to the new school is the Integrated “Arts Education”.
