North Hastings High School students will have some new classmates this fall.
150 grade seven and eight students at York River Public School could be moving to North Hastings High School in September. This comes after the Student Enrolment/School Capacity committee approved the proposal this past Monday. North Hastings High would then become a grade seven to 12 school.
In the proposal submitted to committee it says that York River is currently at capacity and is projected to have increased enrollment in the 2019-20 school year. At North Hastings High, enrollment is expected to decrease over the next five years. “Relocating the grade seven to eight students from York River Public School will provide needed space at York River Public School, required to accommodate the increasing enrolment as well as to accommodate program needs at the school,” is said in the report.
“Only minor changes to the classrooms would be required at North Hastings High School to accommodate the grade seven and eight students and there is ample time to implement those changes prior to September 2019,” the proposal reads.
“From experience at other schools where secondary schools have become Grade seven to 12, specifically Centennial Secondary School in Belleville and Trenton High School in Trenton, where the change was made in September 2018, the change has been positive for the elementary and secondary students,” said Communications Officer with the school board Kerry Donnell in a statement to My Bancroft Now.
The proposal now moves on to the board of trustees who will have to approve it for the plan to move forward. They meet next on January 28th.