The courtyard at Elphin-stone Secondary School has been a long time in the making. In 1999 it was a bare space in the heart of the school that offered no seating or greenery to make it comfortable.
At a formal dedication ceremony on Wednesday, principal Phil Luporini thanked the many teachers, parents, students and CUPE workers who have gradually turned the courtyard into a pleasant seating area with shrubs, flowers and a stage.
"We couldn't have done it without Greg Russell," (a parent who now sits as the school board chair) said teacher Gayle Neilson who has also contributed her volunteer time, along with teachers Denis Fafard and Brian Topping. "When we had our first brainstorming session, everyone wanted to see a water feature out here. But it was the students who wanted to see a stage for concerts."
Luporini said the stage, installed a few years ago, was used as recently as this week for an open air concert band recital.Fafard pointed out some of the renovating challenges over the years: a thick concrete wall had to be demolished by bringing a Bobcat through the school hallways into the courtyard. When 30 yards of topsoil was delivered to the front of the school, everyone had to pull together with wheelbarrows and work like ants to move the soil into the new flower beds. The yard is designed to be self-sustaining using a sprinkling system provided by the Town of Gibsons.Luporini also dedicated the new electronic sign, visible from the highway, that gives up-to-date messages that can be changed using the office computer.
The sign reads "Wel-come to Gibsons," and is a communication tool for students and parents. The Elphinstone PAC fundraised for $28,000 of its cost; the remainder came from the Town of Gibsons.
The next project now underway, says Luporini, is building a new running track on the upper field. He hopes to see it finished by next year.
