Wasaga Beach hopes to get approval for new elementary/secondary school
Wasaga Beach hopes a new school supporting students from kindergarten to Grade 12 will be approved to fill the gap in the beachfront town that is currently without a high school.
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The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) teamed up with the Town of Wasaga Beach to pitch an expanded community hub that would include the new school, post-secondary programs, a community theatre, childcare and outdoor recreational fields.
The twin-pad arena on River Road West in Wasaga Beach, Ont. (CTV News/Christian D'Avino)
The Town and school board submitted a proposal to create a campus bordering the new twin-pad arena library.
"We could not be more excited about this partnership," said Mayor Brian Smith, calling the proposed expanded community hub "innovative and transformational."
"Our approach and our goal is, and always has been, about putting our children first, and this certainly accomplishes that," the mayor added.
The Town of Wasaga Beach hopes to get approval for an expanded community hub to house a new school for students in kindergarten to Grade 12. (Artist Rendering/Source: Town of Wasaga Beach)
In a release issued by the Town, it noted that leveraging the twin-pad arena library would mitigate capital costs and help deliver the K-12 school at a more affordable price for the SMCDSB.
With no secondary school in Wasaga Beach, the Town estimates that 1,000 high school students are currently bused outside the community.
The Town partnered with Lakehead University and Canadore College to enable specialized programming targeting skilled trade professions in childcare, construction, health care and hospitality.
"We look forward to working with our partners and the Ministry of Education to realize this new school facility in a timely manner," Smith stated.
The ministry has yet to give the green light on the project.
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