The first principal appointed when a Lochinvar Catholic school became a secondary college almost 100 years ago has been honoured as part of its $12 million redevelopment.
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Classes were held for the first time yesterday in the two new buildings, which formed the bulk of the development completed this month at All Saints College, St Joseph’s Campus.
The showpiece of the multimillion project – a two-storey building housing a high-tech educational resource learning centre, administration area, staffroom and classrooms – has been named the Bertrand Building, after Sister Mary Bertrand Crowe.
The school was founded in 1883, with the Josephite nun taking over as principal when it officially became an intermediate school in 1915.
She continued in the top job until 1941.
Current principal Paul Greaves said the redevelopment of the site was the perfect time to pay homage to some of those involved in its long and proud history.
He said members of the holy order, who still live in the adjoining convent but no longer teach at the school, had been very supportive of the additions to the school, which represented the single biggest project ever completed by the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.
“We’ve moved into a whole new phase of life at St Joseph’s,” he said.
“The Sisters [of St Joseph] have been incredibly supportive, they’ve been putting up with a lot because it’s literally been in their backyard.
“It’s really been a big thing for them but they’ve felt the bigger picture is Catholic education is here to stay in Lochinvar.
“They started it, we’re continuing it and they couldn’t be happier.”
A trade training centre focusing on primary industry, building and construction, along with new technology facilities were also constructed at the school during the redevelopment, while the science laboratories were completely refurbished.
Mr Greaves said the new facilities would give the school’s 720 students “room to move where we didn’t have it before” and were the result of seven years of planning and construction.
But he said the school’s wish list didn’t end there, with hopes they would be able to secure additional Federal government funding in the next few years to replace the remaining demountable buildings with new food technology facilities.