Grand openings for two schools in the presence of about 1,000 total students -- yesterday was a day for many in Red Deer and Blackfalds to celebrate Catholic education.

St. Joseph High School is Red Deer's newest school, home to 575 students in Grades 10 to 12.

Principal Graeme Daniel said there's energy in the building, where everybody is a newcomer. He wants to tap into that excitement and establish St. Joseph as a place of high standards.

"Everything that we do, we want it to be focused on excellence. Whether it's ... our plays, how we play on the court, our academics, we want everything to be at the best the students can do," Daniel said.

At St. Joseph, if two heads are better than one, then many minds are all the greater. With shared spaces and numerous gathering spots, the school is designed for students to collaborate.

Skills like group work and collective problem solving are increasingly vital to future success and the school's architecture positions students to master them, Daniel said.

"Any school can do it. Just our building is really designed to allow that to happen, easier," he said.

He added the school's learning commons are modelled after those in post-secondary institutions, built with an implicit trust in kids, giving them flexibility and allowing them to talk.

Holly Daniel and Jake Dela Cruz, students at the new St. Joseph High School, cut the ribbon at the school's grand opening.

 

The Red Deer Royals performed at the St. Joseph grand opening. The school's fieldhouse will be the show band's home.

 

In Blackfalds, Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools celebrated the opening of St. Gregory the Great, which has 450 students from pre-kindergarten to Grade 9.

Those students would have previously been transported to Red Deer for their Catholic education. Now they get to attend school and spend time in their hometown.

Principal Chris Andrew said administration's goal is to "build community within our school; to build community within our community."

Andrew said one of the unique programs at St. Gregory is a life skills class for middle school students, which puts a different spin on home-ec.

In a cooking class, students will learn about more than nutrition and culinary skills; they will also understand the cost of their meal and fit it into a budget, Andrew said.

Lessons in cooking and financial management will give students skills they will use -- if not on a future job -- then well into adulthood, he said.