Westmount all-girls school to stay open after congregation agrees to sell property

Villa Sainte-Marcelline, a French private school in Westmount, will remain open thanks to new buyers, the administration says.

The announcement comes weeks after parents said they were blindsided when they learned the Congregation of the Nuns of Sainte-Marcelline, which owns the building, would not renew the school's lease due to an inability to pay for building repairs.

In an email sent to parents Thursday, the administration said the congregation signed a letter of agreement with a Montreal family whose child is a student at the all-girls school.

It says the buyers want to preserve the school "while respecting the values and the educational project of the Marcellines." But a statement on Villa Sainte-Marcelline's website says it will be up to the school to raise the necessary funds to ensure its financial sustainability.

"I'm really happy about it," said Maya Kent Bychkova, a Grade 5 Sainte-Marcelline student. "It's a school that I've been [to] for a very long time, and I like it. I have my friends. It means a lot to me."

Her mother, Nina Gonzalez Bychkova, who also attended the school, said she is relieved.

"All of our efforts and our prayers have been answered," she said. "Everything that we worked for led to something."

The Soeurs de Sainte-Marcelline founded the school in Westmount in 1959, which today provides pre-school, elementary and high school education to its students.

Despite citing building safety issues in October, the administration confirmed Thursday it will continue to hold classes on campus and welcome students in the 2023-2024 school year. The school has not specified what repairs the building needs.

The bill of sale is expected to be signed within 90 days.