School might be out for the summer, but for staff and students at one Durham school, September is being anticipated with a degree of excitement. Grove School in Oshawa has been bringing in more students every year and needs more space — which means that the school’s relocation for the next school year comes just in time.
On the outside, Grove School still has the original Glenholme School sign from the 1960s. Four decades later, the site hasn’t felt much like home for Grove School, and on the inside it’s now overcrowded.
Patrick Belmonte has only been principal since January, but one of his first goals when he took over was to relocate Grove to a larger facility.
“The students that we serve are the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in Durham Region, and so what we want to do is we want to give them the same opportunities that all kids in mainstream schools have,” Belmonte said.
Now, come September, students will have a more central location, as Grove School moves up Simcoe Street to share a building with Durham Alternative Secondary School. Grove will take over the second floor of the facility.
“We’re really excited about the size of the classrooms that they’re building for us, and they’re adding in a family studies area as well as a learning commons,” said Belmonte.
“It gives them the opportunity to use the gymnasium and an appropriate size library which they currently don’t have in the current location,” said Christine Nancekivell, DDSB Chief Facilities officer.
Currently, the school serves more than 300 students who come from 10 agencies across the region that include custody facilities, treatment and care as well as corrections.
“This particular facility will have five classes with two different agencies and each classroom serves about 10 students, but will have other resources there where other agencies students can access and be in walking distance,” said Belmonte.
Summer vacation has just started, so students will have to wait until classes are back on September 4th to see their new school.