Halifax Grammar School celebrates 60th birthday with $14.5M revamp
The Halifax Grammar School celebrated its 60th birthday with a multimillion-dollar revitalization of the independent institution.
Headmaster Steven Laffoley said work began in 2017 and finished this fall. The private school sold its Atlantic Street facility and moved all students into the Tower Road site.
Crews built a stone, glass and wood atrium to connect the old building to a new academic wing. Students gather there in the morning — taking care not to step on the school crest, which is etched onto the floor.
The school also added a new gymnasium and multi-purpose theatre.
"I'm still in awe," Laffoley said of the new space. "I sit in this space occasionally just to soak it in."
The new classrooms are fitted with large windows overlooking an expanded green space. Smart boards let teachers bring in multimedia lessons or just write on the virtual chalk board.
The student population at the tuition-based school has grown by 10 percent over the last three years. Some 530 students fill classes from junior primary to Grade 12.
"The makeup of the school largely reflects not just our long-standing citizens here in the city, but also reflects the immigration to the city. They are all locals, with a very few exceptions," the headmaster said.
In the past, people tended to move to Nova Scotia to work at the hospital, or a university or for government work. Often, at least one family member came from here.
"But for the first time ever, I've heard the phrase 'lifestyle choice.' I'm having families that are talking about moving from Toronto to Halifax — it's sort of like Vancouver, with housing prices that are not so steep," he said.
The school launched a capital campaign to pay for the work. They will reveal how that went early in 2019.
