By Staff Reporter
Holy Cross School has begun the exciting journey of building a school hall. On Monday, honoured guest Cameron McConnachie, a representative of the Holy Cross School Trust, ceremonially broke ground.
He was followed by principal Nicci Hayes and the representatives from each class helped dig. Finally, the grade R class showed everyone present how it’s done in the 21st century – because who needs a spade when you have a bulldozer?
Andrew Joyce, head of the Holy Cross School Council, thanked all those involved in envisioning and supporting the school’s plan — which stretches back many years — to build a hall.
Rev Andrew Kilner, of St James School in Philadelphia, led the school community in a blessing of the ground, the future building, and all who would work on and in it. Rev Andrew is visiting Holy Cross this week with a delegation from the States. This is his second visit, as the two schools strengthen their plans for a long-term partnership.
Hayes said, “The conflation of the visit by members of St James with the ground breaking ceremony was not planned but was wonderfully serendipitous in that both represent the positive growth and expansion of the school.” She said that the hall, which is designed to fulfil multiple purposes, will serve as a communal space where the whole school can get together comfortably to celebrate and learn and pray and create. She looks forward to having a venue where school plays can be rehearsed, assemblies and workshops held, and playtime can continue in bad weather. The simultaneous expansion of the school’s playing fields will allow the school to become more serious about sport too.
The building is being sponsored by the brothers of the Order of the Holy Cross, and has been sympathetically designed by Bridget Brown, a Makhanda architect with much experience creating school spaces.
