Nearly a year after its doors first opened to staff and students, the new Delia School in the Village of Delia held a grand opening on Tuesday, October 4.
Among those in attendance at the grand opening were Prairie Land School Division (PLSD) Superintendent Cam McKeage, PLSD Ward 4 Subdivision 2 (Delia) Trustee Shandele Battle, and representatives from the Village of Delia, Delia School Enhancement Society (DSES), and contractors who worked on the project; Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek also sent a congratulatory greeting via video.
The contract for the $13.7 million project was awarded to Shunda Consulting and Construction out of Red Deer, and ground first broke on the new school in September 2020.
Construction on the school wrapped up 13 months later, in October 2021, about five months ahead of schedule, and students and staff made the move into the new school building on October 19, 2021.
Shortly afterwards, the school hosted its first home Senior Girls’ Volleyball tournament. Eight teams competed from surrounding areas, including Drumheller, Trochu, Hanna, Oyen, and even as far as Airdrie.
Delia Bulldogs took the championship and won gold in this tournament, something the team’s head coach was very proud of.
The vision for the new Delia School was to make it more than just an educational centre, and into a community hub.
Along with funding from the Alberta government, the Delia School Enhancement Society (DSES) went to work raising funds to make the dream a reality.
DSES raised some $1.2 million over the course of 18 months, which helped increase the square footage of both the gymnasium and library, added a multi-room with bleachers for tournaments and home games, and purchased fitness equipment which can be used by staff, students, and the community.
A plaque in the school features a quote from former Alberta NDP leader Ray Martin, who was born and raised in the village; Mr. Martin also spent his career in education and advocated to the Alberta government for a new school in the community.
