In a press release issued by the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est [CECCE], the French Catholic school Board, which opened the Kemptville Pavilion of École catholique Sainte-Marguerite-Bourgeoys on the Kemptville College Campus last year, it has been announced that the Board has signed a 10-year lease with the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario [ARIO]. The lease has two five-year renewal options and involves the school “using Fraser Hall for elementary students and includes exclusive use of Gibson Hall for high school students, who will continue to use the Parish Building until the Gibson Hall redesign and renovation work is completed”.
CECCE Director of Education Réjean Sirois says that signing the lease is an important step toward ensuring a promising future for French Catholic education in Kemptville. “Beginning this coming school year, the Kemptville Pavilion of École catholique Sainte-Marguerite-Bourgeoys will offer very attractive programming around human and planetary health with a focus on climate change. Now that a long-term lease has been signed, the community can take its vision even farther into the future knowing that the school has found its permanent home on the Kemptville College campus,” he said.
This latest development in the on-going, and often confused, story of Kemptville College is very good news for the children and parents who have worked hard to establish the Kemptville Pavilion on the site. What it means for the future involvement of the Municipality of North Grenville is less clear.
