Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen says it was a joy to officially open the expansion at Ecole Dugald School this past week. The ceremony took place on Tuesday. The $10 million dollar project features a 19,000 square foot addition with six new classrooms, a science room and a new gymnasium. Goertzen says students love the new space.

"Students are really excited. They are just back into school and they are the first cohort of classmates to be in that expanded school and they are really excited for that. They see the difference between what they had, particularly the gym space, for example, compared to what they have now. It's quite remarkable when you make that change from a school that's decades old to some of the new architecture and technology."

The new gym covers 5,600 square feet. The old gym has been converted into a new multipurpose and guidance resource area.

Goertzen notes the expansion also includes a new 74-seat child care centre.

"That's been something that's been happening for many years, where there are new schools or significant additions, often there is daycare added to that. There is obviously a lot of convenience and it makes sense to have daycares attached to the schools."

Ecole Dugald School is a dual-track Kindergarten to Grade 8 facility offering both English and French Immersion programming. Prior to the new addition, due to the rapid growth of the community, the school had exceeded its capacity and had been relying on portable classrooms to meet the need for space.