St. Albert’s distance learning Catholic school will go underground in the fall as it moves to its new home in the basement of its district office.
Greater St. Albert Catholic School trustees voted unanimously May 25 to move St. Gabriel High School to the basement of the GSACRD district office building on Mission Hill this September, and to spend about $80,000 to renovate that basement so it could be used as school space.
St. Gabriel is the district’s outreach school for students who want/need to take courses outside of a traditional in-person school. It is currently run out of the Mission Hill Plaza strip mall on St. Albert Trail and has about 25 students.
The board had previously considered moving St. Gabriel and its district office to the École Marie Poburan building as part of the proposed Faith in Our Future plan, much of which is now being reworked in part due to public opposition. The proposed move was meant to save the board the cost of leasing the mall space, which also needed about $130,000 in upgrades to be wheelchair-accessible.
In response to an audience question, board chair Joe Becigneul said the board realized it could put St. Gabriel in the basement of district office after last fall’s provincial budget cuts, which saw many jobs eliminated at the office. The basement also happens to be wheelchair-accessible, as it has a door at ground level (the building is built into a hill).
Assistant superintendent of learning services Rhonda Nixon said the basement is about 2,000 square feet, which is more than enough space for St. Gabriel. The basement would need about $79,500 in renovations to be used as a school.
Becigneul noted this move means the board would no longer have to pay some $130,000 a year to lease that mall space.
“This is in effect a huge savings to the division just even in the first year.”
The board heard the school would be ready for students by the fall.
