It's official. New Westminster broke ground Friday on the site of its newest school, marking the start of construction on the $23.2 million Ãcole Qayqayt Elementary.
School board trustees joined with city councillors, provincial politicians and members of the Qayqayt (pronounced kee-kite) First Nations to celebrate the new elementary school.
"It's exciting that this school is going to be, not just a new beginning, but R also a continuation. A continuation of a tradition at Robson elementary that will be moving over here," said Michael Ewen, chair of the New Westminster board of education. "It's really thrilling to see it move forward."
The school will be built on the site of the former St. Mary's Hospital at 200 Royal Avenue. Named after the Qayqayt First Nations, the name was officially chosen at the March 26 school board meeting. The school board naming committee chose the name because "very little today remains in New Westminster to honour and remember the Qayqayt First Nation. Naming this school for that nation would both honour and keep in memory the people whose land this once was."
"To have the legacy of our ancestors, our families, our traditions, (and) to have them all being carried out today is what's important," said Rhonda Larrabee, Qayqayt First Nations' chief. Larrabee has a personal connection to the new school site. Her mother, Marie Joseph, was born at St. Mary's Hospital.
"We're so excited about having this school named after our First Nations that I just can't tell you. We're over the moon," she said.
The $23.2 million elementary school will have 23 classrooms and space for more than 500 students. It will also feature a Neighbourhood Learning Centre with a daycare and multi-purpose space.
"This new elementary school is the first step in a program to develop three new schools for New Westminster, including a middle school and a secondary school," said MLA Jane Thornthwaite.
"It'll be an outstanding addition to our community."
The new elementary school will feature Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's (LEED) gold standard, using a "heat recovery solar chimney and heat pump system to distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and cool in the summer," according to a press release.
"We are committed to providing safe, modern and environmentally friendly schools across the province, and it is exciting to see this first step in a process that will lead to three of these new schools to service New Westminster families," said Don McRae, B.C.'s Minister of Education, in a press release.
Ãcole Qayqayt Elementary is scheduled to open in September 2014.
