Maplewood Secondary School opens to students after weeks of delays

After weeks of delays, some students at Maplewood Secondary School are finally back in the classroom, and while the school remains under construction, many are thrilled to begin the year at their new school.

The new secondary school in Stittsville opened its doors Monday to grades, 8 and 9. Students in high school had been forced to start the year online due to construction delays that pushed the opening date back twice, while those in middle-school were bussed to satellite school in Bells Corners, then last week, moved to online learning so teachers could prepare their classrooms.

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While parts of the school, including the gym and cafeteria, remain unfinished and off-limits, students are embracing the opportunity to be back in class.

"Overall, the high school was really amazing, the classes are very spacious. They made us do a whole tour, and everything was really great," says student, Abdullah Butt. "The teachers are really nice. I love the mascot, a moose. The library isn't completely built yet, and neither is the gym or cafeteria, but honestly, it was good."

Mason Featherstone says overall the school has a nice atmosphere and he is happy to be back in class.

"It's been a lot of fun today. A lot of it's unfinished, like a bunch of the first floor and all the gyms are closed off," Featherstone said, "but it's still great to be here."

The school was initially slated to open after Labour Day, but ongoing construction failed to meet building inspection requirements, causing the delay. Last Friday the school received the necessary occupancy permit, allowing 50 per cent of the building to be used.

"It was unfortunate that it wasn't ready for the start of September, and we were schooling virtually from home, which was a little tough," says parent AJ Bisiriyu, whose son is in Grade 7. "We got through it, and now the school is open. We're happy. It's always good to have the kids in the classroom."

Construction continues the gymnasium, cafeteria, and other sections of the school, with inspections ongoing. For now, students in grades 10 through 12 will remain at South Carleton High School.

John Buck, Ottawa's chief building official, confirmed in a statement last week that those areas will remain closed until they meet Ontario Building Code requirements.

As for when Maplewood could be completed, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has not provided those details and says it will share more details with students and their parents.