Sod turning ceremony for Holy Trinity Academy behind St. Francis Xavier School on Thursday. Jesse Gill/CHAT News

By Jesse Gill

EDUCATION

Medicine Hat Catholic board hosts ground breaking ceremony for new school

May 29, 2025 | 8:10 PM

The Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education hosted a ground blessing and ground breaking ceremony on Thursday at the future site of Holy Trinity Academy, just behind St. Francis Xavier School.

A school that will be home to students from an early learning program up to Grade 9.

Superintendent Dwayne Zarichny said construction will begin within the next two weeks.

“The fencing will go up to surround the existing St. Francis School, and demolition will begin on the portable structures that are attached to the back of the school,” Zarichny said.

“Then general construction will go on from there.”

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Zarichny said in order to fit the new school onto the property, they did have to remove the old portables that were attached to the building.

“One of them was used as storage, so it’s not that much of an inconvenience,” Zarichny said.

“The library was in the other portable, and the school and staff have become very creative in accommodating that change of not having a fiscal library on site for the next couple of years.”

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READ: Name chosen for new catholic school in Medicine Hat

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St. Francis Xavier will remain open during construction, with students expected to move into the new school in February 2027 to allow full demolition of the existing school.

The new school will be built to accomodate 950 students, making it the largest school within the catholic division.

Zarichny expects initial enrollment to be between 700 and 800 students.

It will include two full-size gymnasiums and a 400-seat theater, a number of sensory rooms, with additional accessibility features including in the playground.

“It’s our intent to have it be one of the most accessible buildings in the province. Normally for students with disabilities, buildings are built to code. But our intent is to be beyond code in terms of accessibility,” Zarichny said.

“We want to have virtually all of our playground accessible to students, even that are in wheelchairs.”

During Thursday’s ceremony, priests completed their blessing, students where singing, and mayor Linnsie Clark delivered a speech.

Zarichny said it’s incredibly exciting.

“We’ve spent the better part of a year planning and developing and getting ready and designing,” Zarichny said.

“Now to sort of see the shovels in the ground, so to speak, start really marks a milestone for us,” he added.

“To have this day take place on World Catholic Education Day as well is just extra special for us. It just brings a little extra meaning to all of us.”

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READ: Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education to build new school, close three

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Holy Trinity Academy will replace three aging schools in the city, St. Francis Xavier, St. Michael’s and St. Mary’s, combining those student populations under one roof in the fall of 2027.