Elementary-aged students up to Grade 4 can attend a non-faith-based school in Morinville next fall, but just where that structure will be located is still undecided.
“On June 30 our board of trustees directed the administration to continue with the establishment of Morinville School but we are still awaiting confirmation from Alberta Infrastructure and Alberta Education about where the school will be located,” said Sheryl McEachern, executive assistant for Sturgeon School Division Superintendent Dr. Michele Dick.
The establishment of a new Morinville school followed the June 2 announcement of a new partnership between the Sturgeon School Division and Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools. Since then the Sturgeon School District has been studying registration lists to decide how and where the classes will be established.
As of Tuesday at the Gazette’s press time, Dick was unavailable for comment because she was in the process of interviewing people for the position of principal of the new school.
“The announcement of who will be named principal will happen later this week,” McEachern said.
The school will have classes from the pre-kindergarten Head Start program up to Grade 4. To date 70 children have registered to attend in September.
McEachern could not confirm how many students in total have registered for all grades, but in mid-June there were 135.
“Students in Grade 5 to Grade 12 will be transported to other Sturgeon schools, likely to Namao School or Sturgeon Composite High School,” she said.
Sturgeon School District board trustee Liz Kohle has been appointed to work with setting up the new Morinville school and discussions are ongoing with the Greater Catholic Schools personnel about the transferring of students from one system to the other.
