Work begins on Holy Cross RC school in Grenada

A sod turning ceremony at the old school grounds of the Holy Cross RC school has marked the commencement of work on a new, $5.4 million structure for that institution.

The school has been housed in various temporary school accommodations for several years, including its current home at the Munich Roman Catholic Church grounds.

MP Yolande Bain-Horsford said: “That’s a project that is very dear to my heart, because I saw the need for the new building here and so this has been taken to cabinet every week and so it’s a pleasure. I’m very elated.”

The construction of school is being undertaken as part of the World Bank’s Regional Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project.

Anthony Boatswain, minister for education, human resource development and the environment, said he expects learning conditions will improve, once construction is complete.

“[The] government remains committed to the task of rehabilitating, rebuilding, reconstructing [and] upgrading of all of our schools that are now in a state of disrepair, as infrastructural development remains a top priority of this administration,” Boatswain said.

Hit by disasters

The minister thanked the staff of the Holy Cross RC School for their patience and all stakeholders involved in making the rebuilding project a reality.

Boatswain added that more than 80% of Grenada’s physical school infrastructure was damaged during the passage of hurricanes Ivan and Emily, with the Holy Cross RC School being one of those.

The school’s principal, Edlyn Ruffin-Modeste, expressed her joy at having the project begin.

“Today’s sod turning ceremony is a symbol of your ongoing commitment to providing our children with better and improved educational conditions,” Ruffin-Modeste said.

The new facility will feature a two-storey main building, with a single storey annex linked by a covered walkway.

The main building will be made of reinforced concrete and block work construction, with a mix of reinforced concrete and timber-framed roof covers, with profiled pre-painted metal sheeting.

There will be a total of eight 11 classrooms, as well as a pre-school, computer and audio-visual lab, home economics centre, staff room and library.

When finished, the school will serve as a designated national hurricane shelter – one of the reasons it was built at a high level, said he government.

Work on the Holy Cross RC School project is expected to finish by June 2018.