Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools spoke to St. Albert city council to present their capital plan and make the case to the city for a new K-9 school in the Riverside neighbourhood.
St. Albert ward trustee and board chair Lydia Yeomans and superintendent of schools Dr. Clint Moroziuk spoke during council's April 1 meeting, outlining the school division's capital priorities through 2026-29. They thanked council for their continued support before pointing out the unprecedented growth in Riverside.
"Riverside is obviously our No. 1 priority," Yeomans said.
In Nov. 2024, the city said the community, which is located on the city's west end, had approximately 523 residents, but sustained rapid growth was expected as development continued. Riverside saw a 131.4 per cent growth rate from 2016-18.
Yeomans said they expect Riverside to surpass 10,000 future residents, and with that comes an increasing demand for Catholic education. Their own enrolment has increased by 20 per cent, which Yeomans said is about 800 students in their school division.
"I can tell you that our Riverside families were a little bit disappointed that we didn't get a new build there, but they're hopeful," she said. Yeomans pointed to Sister Alphonse Academy as justification for a new school. It sits at 104 per cent utilization, and Yeomans said there is no room for modernization.
"If you build it, they do come," she said.
The 4.45 acre site in the neighbourhood is already fully serviced, and Yeomans responded to a query by Coun. Ken MacKay that they'd be ready to go should an announcement be made through the province's School Construction Accelerator Program.
High school replacement
Yeomans also described the school division's desire for a replacement high school in the Chérot neighbourhood. École Secondaire St. Albert Catholic High School (ÉSSACHS), located in Mission, was built in 1966.
"It does lack the modern infrastructure for the career and trades that are so important," Yeomans told council. She said a new facility would align with provincial priorities of career-focused learning and workforce readiness.
The student population at ÉSSACHS has also grown by nearly 200 students.
Coun. Natalie Joly questioned what would happen to the site if the school was replaced entirely.
"The world is the oyster here," Moroziuk said. "It could be repurposed as a school site, it can be repurposed in collaboration with the city for something else to benefit the community."
He added the school next door, Vincent J. Maloney Junior High, is nearing capacity.
"I think there are multiple opportunities that can be considered by the school jurisdictions and the city with regards to that site," he said.
Joly also wondered why a different site was the preferred option, as opposed to replacing it on the same site, much like what was done with Paul Kane High School. Moroziuk said there isn't the necessary acreage to allow that to be an option.
Recently, the province announced funding through the accelerator program for a new 900-student K-9 school in Chérot for St. Albert Public Schools. The 25-acre site is currently designated as a "high school," but although there were originally expectations for council to debate changing the designation to "school," it was not debated during the April 1 meeting.
Moroziuk said he hopes there could be a solution for all school divisions in St. Albert to get their needs met.
"We are hopeful that if there can be a commitment to having the 10-acre site in Chérot ready, that really will allow all three of our school jurisdiction partners who work together collaboratively for the benefit of the community, and the students and the families that we serve, to achieve all of their capital priorities in the coming years without conflict," he said.
