After years of waiting, West Niagara Secondary School is finally open.
Principal Mat Miller estimates about 1,500 kids will be walking through the doors at the new school at 5699 King St. in Beamsville for the school’s opening day.
“I'm so excited for our students,” he said. “That's the reason the school was built — for our students. They’re all going to have the best facilities, in addition to the best programs both inside and outside the classroom. So, it's a great day for students in West Niagara.”
Miller estimates he’s been attached to the new school since they started talking about it in 2018. In 2019, the project started with site remediation. It was supposed to open for the first time last September but was delayed a year. One of the big reasons for the delay, Miller said, was construction delays due to the pandemic and supply chain issues.
The school consists of students from all over West Niagara, with Grimsby Secondary School, Beamsville District Secondary School, and South Lincoln High School all closing over the last couple of years to consolidate into the one building.
Because of the construction delays, both Beamsville District Secondary School and Grimsby Secondary School stayed open last year, acting as the West Niagara Secondary School Beamsville and Grimsby campuses respectively in the interim.
Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff was happy to hear the school would be open in time for the September start.
While he admits he was concerned about the loss of the smaller schools, Oosterhoff is opening the new facility will mark a new chapter for Niagara West.
“I think there is no secret that there have been challenges around this new build, and I had severe concerns with the loss or the loss of the local schools in the hearts of those communities,” he said. “But, at the same time, I recognize that this is now a new chapter. We have to move forward. There's going to be some really exciting opportunities and classes that are going to be provided in this new school.”
The new facility, Miller said, will offer a number of courses that wouldn’t have been available at the smaller schools.
“By coming together, with more students, we're able to offer certainly more specific programs and some things that students asked for themselves,” he said. “In terms of tech, we've got manufacturing, welding, computer engineering, health care, communications tech, TV/video, construction, transportation, which is auto shop, hospitality and tourism, cosmetology, and horticulture.”
Additionally, the school will offer courses in Italian, yoga, Pilates, environmental science, earth and space science, and world culture. The new campus will also have a turf football field and running track.
While the school will be open for students, parts of it are still under construction. Miller said the 750-seat theatre isn’t quite ready yet, but he doesn’t expect that will impact student experience. Once it’s done, he’s looking forward to the school becoming a community hub.
“It's just such a positive thing,” he said. “When people come for the first time, whether it's students or their families or community members, because we do want the school to be used as a community hub, I think it's going to blow everyone away. The layout is so open, bright, and accessible — everything's state of the art. It's all anyone could want from a school. It's really exciting.”
Oosterhoff added that West Niagara Secondary School is another example of the shared identity across Niagara West.
“I think that is just another proof point that West Niagara is becoming more integrated,” he said. “West Niagara is more and more becoming a place where people are working together, regardless of whether they're from Beamsville, Smithville or Grimsby. People have a shared identity. And I think that that's something that we're going to continue to see these sorts of collaborations moving forward.”
