Sod Turned for New Duchess Park

Friday, May 30, 2008 01:37 PM

l-r School Superintendent Brian Pepper, Student Kris Prazma,Eva Elliot, Don Zurowski, John Rustad, Shirley Bond, Lyn Hall, Brian Savage, Sherry Thibault, Bruce Ballantyne.

Prince George, B.C. - In front of students, staff, School District 57 Board members and Parent Advisory Committee reps, the start of construction of the new Duchess Park Secondary School officially got underway over the lunch hour today.

The development of the new Duchess Park is a personal matter for many involved. Brian Savage, of WIC constructiion which has the design -build contract for the $36.5 million dollar project, is a graduate of Duchess Park. Education Minister Shirley Bond, also on hand for today's sod turing was also a student at Duchess as was MLA John Rustad.

But it is Principal Bruce Ballantyne who will see the biggest change,.

He has just 60 days left before he retires, and PGSS Vice Principal Sherry Thibault will take over the helm and lead Duchess into a new facility.

Ballantyne made a humourous analogy between the change in the school's leadership and the move to a new school "The grand old lady behind us ( referring to Duchess Park School) has served us well, but she is showing her age and in a year and a half she will exit gracefully and make room for a new beginning, and I think we need that right now." His reference to "a new beginning" is about the horrible week Prince George has gone through with the devastating fires that have wiped out more than 200 jobs.

It is a sentiment not lost on Education Minister Shirley Bond "at the end of a week that's been very difficult for Prince George, and there is no other way to express that, I've been in Victoria working with Ministries trying to find ways to help deal with some of those challenges being faced by those those families and companies. But at the end of this week, we get to end it on a note of hope and optimism with a new school."

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Posted on Friday, May 30, 2008 01:37 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: owl on May 30 2008 2:01 PM

I do not see any sod........ must be Dr. Annie Booth's Northern Sustainable Landscape Initiative "sod".

;-)

Posted by: trudy on May 30 2008 2:13 PM

smarty pants.. although this gritty sod is certainly a "sustainable" landscape in these parts LMAO
;-)

Posted by: diplomat on May 30 2008 3:11 PM

Doesn't Don look cool in the acting mayor's role?

;-)

Posted by: Foo738 on May 30 2008 4:22 PM

Sherry Thibault is also a grad of Duchess.

Posted by: Bridge on May 31 2008 10:33 AM

Hope this dosent go to Dons head turning this hallowed sod.

My question is what are all these none school board types doing at this sod turning? would it be their imaturity grasping for straws to be seen. It used to be we would see one or two at a sod turning but this is rediculous.

Cheers

Posted by: owl on May 31 2008 2:00 PM

What you don't see is a second group of people standing outside of camera range to take over in case someone keels over from exhaustion.

I hear they got to turn over close to 23 square metres of soil. That was a good start, but did not reduce the excavation cost by much.......

;-)

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on June 1 2008 12:01 AM

The Duchess school will be for about 250 kids who's parents want them to speak french.

And so it goes - Trudeau's dream continues to be a costly nightmare for the people that have to pay.

I wonder where the poorer folks will go? Can they still fit more kids into PGSSS?

Posted by: Bridge on June 1 2008 10:19 AM

Yama your off the mark again. Duchess Park is not just for french classes. Jounior high and senior high are english. And above all it has produced some fine young graduates in past years

And yes PGSSS can take more students. Had about 1600 last term and in the past has had as many as 2200 students. Oh and then there is DP Todd.

Trudeau was one of the few Prime Ministers that had a vision for our country. Not everyone agreed with him but he made an effort for change. He believed in democracy and he practised it as well. Today our country is run by big corporation and would like nothing better then to see Canada as a third world country.

Cheers

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on June 1 2008 11:41 PM

Well if Canada became a third world country, where would the big corporations go? And why would big corporation want another third world country, who would be left for customers? Bridge's opinion of big corporation is that they are stupid, so how can they be clever as well?

Bridge seems confused about the difference between a vision one elitist had, and the harm that the clever fellow did by imposing his vision on the rest of Canada. I liked Canada, ol' One Finger Trudeau didn't.

Cheers