Ground Broken For Western HRM High School

Students will soon be walking the halls of their new high school in the western Halifax Regional Municipality as Education Minister Jamie Muir dug the first shovelful of earth today, Nov. 5, at the project site.

The $16.2-million project, scheduled for completion in September 2006, will accommodate more than 1,100 students in Grades 10 to 12.

Mr. Muir said the new school will be environmentally friendly and take full advantage of its beautiful surroundings.

"It will be a wonderful place to learn and teach," he said. "This school, along with the Hammonds Plains Elementary, which is already under construction, will provide new capacity and flexibility for the area."

Deborah Brunt, Halifax Regional School Board member for District 11, said the new school will be a valuable addition to the community.

"I'd like to thank the provincial government for recognizing the need for a new high school in this area," said Ms. Brunt. "It will be a beacon for our students and teachers and a focal point for the entire community."

Architects worked with the community school steering team to design the building. The two-storey structure will be a long arc sitting at the top of a hill and overlooking St. Margarets Bay.

The new school is part of an eight-year school construction program funded by the Department of Education worth more than $400 million.

Construction of the school is being supervised by the Department of Transportation and Public Works.