The Beacon Hill Bears are now officially prowling the hills of the Sylvan Lake.
On January 17, dignitaries and guests from all over the Province of Alberta including MLA Don MacIntyre of Innisfail-Sylvan Lake, MLA Barb Miller of Red Deer South, MLA Kim Schreiner of Red Deer North and Mayor of Sylvan Lake Sean McIntyre joined together in Sylvan Lake to officially open Beacon Hill Elementary School.
The school - which provides education for 500 students in Sylvan Lake - is a modern, state of the art building that was years in the making and will help ease the volume of class sizes at Steffie Woima School and C.P. Blakely School.
MLA and Minister of Finance Joe Ceci was on hand to cut the ribbon to officially open Beacon Hill Elementary School.
“It’s wonderful to join you all in celebrating the grand opening of Beacon Hill Elementary School,” he said. “Needless to say; this is an exciting day for Sylvan Lake and Chinook’s Edge School Division. An incredible amount of hard work went into the construction of this facility and everyone who was involved can take great pride.”
Ceci stressed the importance of investing in children’s education to help grow the Province of Alberta.
“This school represents one of the most important investments we can make in our children’s futures and in the future of this province,” he said. “Good jobs begin with a great education and by building this new school here in Sylvan Lake, we can ensure all of our students receive an education that prepares them for success.”
The opening of Beacon Hill Elementary comes along with the opening of multiple schools throughout Alberta. “As a government - one of our top priorities is seeing school construction programs like this one are done as quickly as possible,” said Ceci. “More then 30 new schools and modernization projects were completed last Fall with many more to come throughout this school year.”
He added quality education can help defend against difficult economic times like the one Albertan’s are currently facing.
“Our commitment to investing in students also serves as an economic driver in difficult times,” he said. “Thousands of jobs both direct and indirect have been created by our current commitment to build and modernize schools across this province.”
Ceci credited and thanked Chinook’s Edge School Division for the creation of such a wonderful school in Sylvan Lake.
“This new elementary school provides space for 500 students to learn close to home,” he said. “It’s state of the art - a wonderful place for students to study and for teachers to teach. Like all new schools it uses natural light to create bright open spaces and includes collaborative areas where students can learn and work together.”
Ceci also stressed the importance of the value new schools bring to the community as a whole.
“Schools are more than brick and mortar - it will be a gathering place for the community for decades to come,” he said. “Thank you for all the partners who have come together to bring this school together.”
Ceci added, “It also includes wonderful spaces like the gymnasium which will be home to the Beacon Hill Bears - yay Beacon Hill Bears.”
reporter@sylvanlakenews.com