Morinville residents celebrated the opening of their newest Catholic school last week – a solar-powered structure named for a saint with a design that just happens to be perfect for life during the pandemic.
About 40 dignitaries gathered in the sparkling new gym at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Academy Oct. 8 for the school’s grand opening.
St. Kateri is the second new school to open in Morinville this year and is located at 980 Westwinds Drive. It had been open to students since Aug. 31 but effectively closed to the general public due to pandemic-related safety measures.
It was “a bit surreal” to have a grand opening celebration without having all the students in the gym, said school principal Cheryl LaBuick – due to pandemic-related safety measures, all but three of the school’s 150-some students had to watch the ceremony by live video feed from their classrooms.
The ceremony featured speeches from Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw and Morinville Mayor Barry Turner, blessings by Alexander elder Edna Arcand and Bishop Paul Terrio, and a First Nations hoop dance by Alexander artist Dallas Arcand Jr.
Terrio also spoke about the school’s namesake, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680). The first Native American to be made a Catholic saint, Kateri is the patron saint of the environment, people in exile and Indigenous peoples, and has some 300 books written about her.
“She began as a child,” Terrio noted, and had the same sense of humility and openness as today’s students.
School tour
Guests also got to tour the school, with those viewing online invited to follow along in the coming days through a Google Streetview-esque virtual tour that would soon be available on the school’s website.
The school’s colour scheme reflected important parts of St. Kateri’s life, explained LaBuick. The main hall – which features many windows and plenty of natural light – has a wood-patterned floor and ceiling to resemble an Indigenous longhouse, while the front office is brown to reflect Kateri’s skill as a basket-weaver.
The school’s grades are divided into separate “pods” coloured green, yellow or blue – references to St. Kateri’s membership in the Turtle Clan, her nickname of Lily of the Mohawks, and the blue blanket she used to hide her smallpox scars, LaBuick said. Classrooms in each pod have garage-door walls so they could open up and spill into common areas. Each pod has its own entrance, teacher collaboration area and washrooms.
“They’re almost naturally cohorted,” she said, which just happens to fit in with today’s cohort-based COVID-19 safety measures.
Parents waiting to pick up their kids outside can stand underneath a shelter equipped with a solar panel. The school’s roof is covered with such panels, and students can study the roof’s solar output during science classes, LaBuick said.
Grade 4 student Streiter Dillman gave the school’s playground a hearty endorsement due to its many swings, upon which you could reach dizzying heights. He also appreciated the school’s colour-coded pods.
“Sometimes I pretend the different colours are different types of Pokémon,” he said, adding his classes are in the green “Bulbasaur” section.
Turner said he is impressed by the flexibility of the school’s classrooms and common spaces.
“Schools are huge for both communities and neighbourhoods,” he said, and this school would draw more residents and development to Morinville.
“I think this is the tipping point for Morinville, and we’re going to see some fantastic growth as a result.”
LaBuick said students at St. Kateri would decide on the school’s mascot later this school year.
Visit www.skta.gsacrd.ab.ca/grandopening for a video of the grand opening.
