Community built Greenfield elementary school officially opens

As the school year begins, Greenfield Elementary School students are walking into one of three new schools in the province.

Premier Rodney MacDonald and Education Minister Karen Casey officially opened the school on Sept. 5. “I commend the Greenfield Community School society for presenting this unique idea to government, nurturing the concept, and bringing the project to such a successful conclusion,” said Premier MacDonald. “What you have done here speaks to the ingenuity of Nova Scotians.”

In the late 1990s an engineering report found the former Greenfield school to be inadequate in terms of design and in need of repairs.

The former Greenfield Elementary School is more than 60 years old.

The Greenfield Community Resource Centre Society Inc. purchased land from the South Shore Regional School Board along Highway 210 last June.

The school board’s original intent was to build a school on that property. The school is valued at $1.3-million.

Construction crews broke ground last September. John Doucet and Architects based out of Halifax designed the single storey building.

The new school includes two classrooms, a resource room, library, teacher’s lounge, three offices and common areas. “The innovation and collaboration of the community that has resulted in the building of this new community school is very significant,” said South Shore Regional School Board Superintendent, Nancy Pynch-Worthylake. “The South Shore Regional School Board will continue to provide equitable education to the Greenfield students.”

The Greenfield Community Resource Centre Society Inc. built and will maintain the school while the Department of Education will lease the school from the community for $72,000 over the next 20 years.

As a non-profit organization, the Greenfield Community Resource Centre Society Inc. also acted as general contractor to save money.

Queens MLA Vicki Conrad described the Greenfield Community School Society as a committed group of people.

When she first heard about the project Conrad recognized that it was the beginning of a model for other communities.

She also noted, “what a great colour” is in the school’s washrooms.

The new Greenfield Elementary School will house 32 students.

New schools also opened in Middle Musquodoboit and Halifax.