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St. Francis Academy welcomes its flock

After a couple of years of pouring concrete, putting up walls and doing electrical work, the most important component finally arrived at St. Francis of Assisi Academy – approximately 280 students.

After a couple of years of pouring concrete, putting up walls and doing electrical work, the most important component finally arrived at St. Francis of Assisi Academy – approximately 280 students.

Grade 3 students Brody and Destanee Hofer were two of the first students to walk the halls on the official first day of school on Aug. 30 at the new K-Grade 7 school in Davisburg.

“I’m excited because it is a brand new school,” Brody said. “I’m going to learn brand new stuff.”

The Hofers got plenty of sleep prior to their first day of school.

Pumped-up principal Diana Atkinson couldn’t make the same claim.

“I got a good solid four hours, and now I’m just awake and excited — it’s all adrenaline,” Atkinson said, about 30 minutes before the students arrived. “We already had an exciting day with the kids when we had an open house on Friday.”

The school opened with a staff of 23 people. The class sizes will range from 14 students to 23 students.

Atkinson and vice-principal Niki Doyle were putting on enough miles to run a marathon as they prepared the school the night before opening day.

“Running lists, putting up schedules, we were pretty busy,” Doyle said with a smile.

The most important job on that first day was making sure the students felt at home in a new area.

“There are always new kids at a school, but here we are drawing from so many areas,” Doyle said. “We want to help them to feel loved and feel comfortable.”

Helping them feel comfortable and at ease are Grade 7 students Amy Morris and Anna McKeel.

“We’re going to help out with things,” Morris said.

McKeel agreed.

“I see us inspiring the younger kids,” she said.

St. Francis of Assisi Academy was built to provide Catholic education for students living in the northern part of the MD of Foothills as well as to take pressure off École Good Shepherd School.

Mission accomplished.

The K-Grade 6 Good Shepherd has gone from about 970 students last year to an estimated 840 for 2016-‘17.

“We are so happy for St. Francis opening and to have them get good numbers as well,” said Good Shepherd vice-principal Paul Lavery. “We are on track to right-sizing, our spaces are being used they way they are supposed to.”

However, right-sizing comes at a cost.

Lavery said the students and parents who have made the move to St. Francis will be missed.

Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools were proactive about making the transition from Good Shep to St. Francis as smooth as possible for students.

Students who were in the St. Francis boundary last school year were grouped at Good Shepherd so they would have camaraderie when they made the moved to the new school on Aug. 30

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