North Star High School preparing for inaugural year

With back to school right around the corner, the buzz is growing as construction enters the final hurdles at North Star High School in Amherstburg.

From construction crews to teachers and administrators, everyone is working hard to make sure things will be ready as the school prepares to welcome about 800 students for the upcoming school year from the former Western Secondary and General Amherst high schools.

Greater Essex County District School Board trustee Ron LeClair says things are coming along quite well, with everything but the gym looking to be ready for opening day.

"Seen some pictures and there's lots of technology, rooms are beautiful, and it's a great new school that's going to bring Western and General Amherst together. It provides a significant technological foot print for those that are interested in the skill trades, as well as all the other science, math and english courses," he said.

LeClair says he can understand why people are fond of their old schools, but the good side of this is they'll start building new memories in Amherstburg.

The new $24-million facility is state of the art, with an open common area, and LeClair says even more will be available to students in the new classrooms.

"Obviously in the classrooms you're going to have the best technology that's available. Screens, computers, Wi-Fi access that's very robust throughout the school. Air conditioning is a very huge issue in Essex County, and not every school has it, so this will be a nice and cool climate when we get those really hot days."

A lot of hard work has gone into the new school to make sure it's able to open on time, and despite some worries, LeClair says it's amazing what they've been able to accomplish.

"I was concerned that we weren't going to make it for September with supply chain issues and with all the restrictions during COVID. But hats off to all of those that were involved in making this come together and being ready for September."

Capacity at North Star is around 820 students depending on the formation of the classrooms, so for the first year they'll be just short of capacity, something LeClair says is not uncommon for a new build.