Holy Cross to serve as 'temporary' French school for Grades 7-12 in St. John's
Long-term plan is to have a second K-12 French school in the city
A vacant junior high school in St. John's will serve as a "temporary solution" for French students, by offering Grades 7-12.
The decision comes this week after a unanimous vote by trustees at a meeting of the Conseil scolaire francophone provincial de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador (CSFP).
"This is a short-term plan and it is for five years," said Kim Christianson, director of education of CFSP.
The currently-empty Holy Cross School on Ricketts Road, which is owned by the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John's, will house the dozens of students.
But Christianson said the goal is to move on from that building — eventually.
"The long-term plan is to request or put in a proposition to have a full-time or permanent school in St. John's," she said, noting the city's west end is a possibility, but it's too soon to tell.
Existing school expansion a no-go
Currently, l'École des Grands-Vents on Ridge Road is the only French school in St, John's — there are four others in the province.
Overcrowding issues had plagued the school, but some parents at a meeting in April had argued against separating older and younger students — believing more efforts should be focused on housing all French students in one building.
"It's not doable, it's not the best solution to meet the needs ... To expand this current school is not an option," Christianson said, citing studies on the issue.
She said keeping all students together might be good in theory, but has major practical problems.
"[L'École des Grand-Vents] is not made for students that are at the senior level. The gymnasium is not the full-size for a high school, there are no science labs," Christianson said, noting the school is also shared with several French organizations.
The opening of the new, temporary, school is slated for September.
With files from Philippe Grenier