Students, staff and family members of John William Boich Public School recently gathered to celebrate an official opening of the school named in his honour. It has been an exciting first year for the Burlington school, which opened its doors in September to more than 700 students.

“Our new community school has developed a vision focusing on inclusion, high levels of parent involvement with major goals on instructional technology, caring for our environment and being a responsible global citizen,” says Principal Peter Milovanovic. “The collective effort of teachers, parents and students has resulted in a highly successful year and the creation of lifelong memories.”

During the next two years, the Board will be celebrating the opening of more schools.

Oakville’s Garth Webb Secondary School (2820 Westoak Trails Blvd.) is set to open in September and will help address growth occurring in the Westoak Trails community.

The three-storey school will feature barrier-free accessibility for approximately 1,200 students and staff, a triple gym, studio/theatre, specialty classrooms and an all-weather running track. The late Webb was a Burlington resident and World War II veteran of the D-Day Normandy campaign. He spearheaded the establishment of a non-profit organization, called the Juno Beach Association, and rasied the $10 million necessary to build an interpretation centre as a lasting memorial to sacrifices and contributions of Canadian soldiers.

To help address growth occurring in north Burlington, Alton Village Public School will open in Burlington (3290 Steeplechase Dr.) in September. The three-storey school will feature a full passenger elevator, barrier-free access, air conditioning with individual classroom controls, double gym, bus drop off area and kindergarten drop off area, and plenty of natural light.

Meanwhile, the Board is partnering with the City of Burlington on a new joint community facility in the Alton community. The $40.2 million project includes a three-storey secondary school that will accommodate approximately 1,200 students when it is scheduled to open in fall 2013.  The school is one part of the community complex, which will also include a public library and a community centre with five competition-size gyms. By combining these facilities and sharing resources, the Halton District School Board, Burlington Public Library and the City of Burlington are able to reduce the overall design and construction costs while providing important services to the community.

The northern part of the Board will also be welcoming students to a new high school in Milton in September, called Craig Kielburger Secondary School (1151 Ferguson Dr.). It will replace E.C. Drury High School. The two-storey school will feature barrier-free accessibility for 1,200 students and staff, a triple gym, studio/theatre, food school and technical educational facilities, and an all-weather running track. At the age of 12, Kielburger started a school-based club, called Free the Children, to raise funds and awareness about child labour. He is also co-founder of “Me to We”, an innovative social enterprise which challenges the notions of commercial consumption and redefines the relationship between business and charity.

Director of Education David Euale is eager to see the new school open to provide every student the best opportunity to succeed, in the same tradition of E.C. Drury High School.

“E.C. Drury High School has served the Milton community for 32 years, providing quality education for the many students who have passed through the doors.  I know that many of the past graduates of the school returned to the school during recent ceremonies to meet old friends and staff and celebrate the many years of success of the school. I know that in reacquainting with old classmates, individuals recalled the field trips, sports teams, dances and special events they remember from their days at the school. Current students at the school will be experiencing the closure of E.C. Drury and the opening of the new Craig Keilburger Secondary School. These new students – like all inaugural students at new schools – will carry with them the fine traditions garnered from their previous high school experience to help build a reputation of excellence in education.”