A blessing ceremony was held on Wednesday morning for the new Catholic elementary school in north Chatham.
It was held on site at 801 McNaughton Ave. W in front of St. Clair College and next to the future Chatham-Kent Children's Treatment Centre.
St. Clair Catholic District School Board Director of Education Deb Crawford says the process has gone smoothly so far and she's excited about future partnerships at the nearby Thames Campus and the new children’s centre.
Jack, 11, will be going to the new school and is looking forward to new beginnings.
"I'm super excited about the new school, it's going to be so fun. There's going to be more people so we can make new friends and there's going to be better basketball teams and sports and all that," he says.
Crawford says construction should start in May. The new school is expected to open in September 2019.
Sadie, 9, will be at the new school and is looking forward to bigger sports fields with her friends.
"Some of my friends from the other school are going there and I'm excited to see them. I'm excited to play basketball and soccer and maybe have a bigger field," she says.
Adalie, 6, will be going to the new school and is excited about keeping the old gang together.
"It's going to be a big school and I'm going to have all my friends there and it's going to be really exciting," says Adalie.
Georgia, 10, is going to the new school but will miss the old school.
"All of my family went there and there's a lot of memories still," says Georgia.
