Tuesday was the first day of school across Prince Albert with schools in the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division and Prince Albert Catholic School Division returning for the 2024-2025 school year.
St. John Community School principal Brock Skomorowski said that he has been looking forward to the first day of school.
“It’s always nice to be on summer break and spend time with my family, but then it gets to the fall and you’re ready to go back and see the families and the kiddos,” Skomorowski said. “It’s so nice to see everyone again and all their smiling faces.”
He said that current enrolment is 380 students, which is an increase of about 40 from the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.
Director of education Lorel Trumier was also on hand for the first day of school and gave credit to Skomorowski for handling any challenge.
The school also saw some staffing changes as schools commonly do during the transition over the summer.
“We do have a few new teachers, one brand new teacher and a couple that have moved in from other schools,” he said.
Skomorowski said students and staff in every other school across Prince Albert probably have the same feelings.
“It’s a really exciting time as a teacher and they probably didn’t sleep too well last night,” he added.
St. John Community School recently had a $2.1 million in renovations through the Ministry of Education’s Minor Capital Renewal Program. Skomorowski explained that the difference was visible and mirrored the new year.
“I think it’s really good. The school is starting to show its wear and to walk into a bright new school at the start of the school year is just a really fresh start for everyone,” he said.
“It’s a fresh start for everyone, as in every school year, but this is extra fresh.” he added.
“It’s kind of a blank slate for all students. They come back to a new school year. They get to try everything again, and I think walking into the school with the new floors and the new paint job is really just going to have an effect.”
The project, which began as the school year ended, included renovations to improve the function of bathrooms, kitchen and library. Other interior upgrades include the replacement of boilers, roof top units, windows, lighting, doors, flooring, wheelchair lift, furniture, equipment, relocatable classroom roofing and surveillance are also included in the project.
The work on the building was both visible and invisible with items like new boilers and roof repairs that were not obvious to the naked eye.
“A roof construction costs a lot of money. Nobody sees it, but they’ll notice it. They’ll notice it in the spring, when it’s not leaking,” Skomorowski said.
Skomorowski was ecstatic for the start of another school year.
“It’s just a really exciting time for a teacher and I’m happy to see everyone’s smiling faces.”
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
