The community of Two Hills celebrated a landmark day on May 30 as local teachers, St. Paul Education Regional Division board members, and politicians came together to hold the official sod turning ceremony for the construction of the new school.
Despite the construction having already begun, the sod turning saw an enthusiastic turnout, and a lot of support. The ceremony, hosted by Rick Hayes of Alberta Education, was attended by important figures like Jeff Johnson, the Minister of Education and Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater MLA, along with Shayne Saskiw, Lac la Biche-Two Hills-St. Paul Wildrose MLA, Town of Two Hills Mayor Elaine Sorochan, Two Hills County Reeve Allan Sayler and SPERD Chair Maureen Miller.
Each of them made a congratulatory speech to those involved with the establishment of the new school, and spoke of how the building of the new school would greatly benefit the community.
“It’s exciting to have all the kids here. It’s great to bring the community together and celebrate this and those who made it happen,” said Miller. “Even if the event is a little late, and the construction is underway, it just shows how tight knit the community is.”
“It’s fantastic to have all the kids out here to witness this,” said Johnson, adding, “It’s great to see the excitement, and to see the fruits of difficult decisions in the face of cuts and operational expenses, paying off.”
He continued saying, “It’s nice to credit the people who made the decisions and made it happen. I think it’s important to have the sod turning ceremony, even if the construction’s already started. It gives everyone a chance to say thank-you.”
Sorochan was also satisfied with the event saying, “It’s a great day for us, here in Two Hills. This day is going to go down in history. We’ve already got a pretty big school, and this new building will accommodate the continuing growth of our school system here.”
The mayor added that there are already over 500 kids attending the Two Hills Mennonite School.
“This is truly a milestone, and we’re overjoyed,” said Sorochan.
