Students at St. Patrick Catholic School in Harrowsmith happy to be back

Tuesday was the day to dust off the lunch boxes and don some new clothes. It was back-to-school for thousands of students in the region.

St. Patrick Catholic School in Harrowsmith was no exception. Grade 6 student Ciara Pavao doesn’t mind saying goodbye to summer vacation and returning to the books. In fact, she says she loves this time of year and her school.

“It’s just that there’s no bullying, and it’s all good. And you make friends really easily. You just say ‘Hi,’ and then boom, you’re friends.”

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There are nearly 250 students from kindergarten to Grade 8 at St. Patrick School. And according to longtime teacher Debby Gill, Day 1 of school is a very important one.

“It’s a reunion, it’s coming back , but not just a one-day reunion, a 10-month reunion where we are all working together.”

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It too early for any exact numbers, but Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board officials say enrollment is holding steady at around 11,000 students.