Vaughan school hit by tornado reopens

Just weeks after the City of Vaughan was turned down for provincial recovery aid for August’s tornado, hundreds of residents were celebrating renewal in one of the hardest hit communities.

St. Peter’s Catholic Elementary School in Woodbridge, which was damaged significantly in the storm, officially reopened Tuesday after months of renovation.

Principal Jo-Ann Dawson said the whole community came together to help facilitate the repairs, and throughout the hallways, staff and students were beaming.

"It’s like coming into a brand new school," Ms. Dawson said. Many parents who have been involved in the school community for years became quite emotional at seeing the facility come back to life, she said.

"The tears today; they’re just so happy."

The renovation cost about $2.5-million, school board officials said, after the tornado tore heating and ventilation units from the roof, blew windows out and flooded large swaths of the building. The storm destroyed everything from children’s textbooks to decades-old wooden cabinets.

"That’s all been fixed, reinforced," Ms. Dawson said as she strolled through the hallways. "We’re blessed — we’ve been able to get a facelift."

Insurance money paid for the majority of the repairs, but the board also took the opportunity to contribute some extra funding for upgrades to the school, which is more than three decades old, officials said.

Throughout the halls at St. Peter’s, pictures of the tornado’s devastation were posted outside the classrooms and offices that were affected.

Yesterday, many students and staff commented on how much lighter the school now seems, with new desks, cabinets, walls, ceilings and floors.

While the renovation was in progress, students had been temporarily housed at two nearby schools so there was no disruption to their studies. Many chirped about their excitement at being back.

"It’s brighter. It’s easier to do our work now," Grade 5 student Kyle Herbert said. "I like the way our school is organized now. Everything’s clean."

Last month, the province denied a request by Vaughan council to have the neighbourhoods affected by the Aug. 20 tornado declared a disaster area. Such a designation would have qualified the region for additional provincial funding.

The total cost to the city of Vaughan for the tornado response and recovery efforts exceeded half a million dollars, the city said at the time, but no one was available late yesterday to provide a more specific estimate.