Sault high school gets five new portables

St. Basil's Secondary School will be getting five new portables over the summer and into the next school year, says Director of Education John Stadnyk.

At a recent Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board meeting, Stadnyk said that 88 students will be joining the ranks at St. Basil's next year after the board closes the doors on Mount St. Joseph College later this month.

Work on the new portables and other needed modifications to the school are expected to continue into the first semester of 2006/2007, he told trustees.

"While we have that construction we might run some of the classes in a wing here [Mount St. Joseph College]," said Stadnyk. "That will be an interim first semester step."

The work to be done to St. Basil's school to bring in the students from Mount St. Joseph College and their programs is estimated to cost $1.3 million.

"With the closure of this school [Mount Saint Joseph College] the specialty program areas such as music, foods and dance will be housed at St. Basil's Secondary," said Stadnyk.

The target for completion of the work on St. Basil's Secondary is February 2007.

New computers

The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board is buying about 400 new or refurbished desk top computers from EBS Notebooks.

About 200 of those machines will be going into the high schools to replace outmoded, damaged or worn units.

Almost 45 computers will go to secretaries across the board.

Stadnyk also said that the board will buying 33 laptop computers for principals across the board.