Students were welcomed back to classes in St. Brieux with a brand new, fully operational set-up.

After two years of renovations, the school was officially re-opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday.

"It's an absolutely amazing feeling to have this project completed. Our school division's focus has always been on students and the opportunities that now exist here at St. Brieux School is something we can't measure," explained Horizon School Division Board Trustee Linda Mattock. "It's not only for students of today but students of tomorrow as well."

Principal John Casavant, who hosted the ceremony featuring several speeches, says that you could see the impact that a new facility has on the students.

"When they walked in for classes this fall, you could see there was a level of energy that wasn't there last year."

The woodworking shop in the Industrial Arts lab.Casavant thanked students and staff at the school for their efforts in continuing to work on academics, even with all the noise and work that was going on over a two year period.

"Throughout it all, the kids have been able to see the building changing. When we got to last June, they could finally see that the gym, IA shop and home ec were all going to be operational for this fall,"

The rebuild did have its challenges, according to Casavant, who cited examples of what they had to deal with.

"We had a teacher that was moved eight different times," he noted. "Another big inconvenience was moving the library to the home ec lab and back in about a four month period."

All the patience has paid off for the school, which now boasts plenty of space to keep up with the continually growing student body.

It was said during the ceremony that enrolment has nearly doubled in the 11 years since chatter first began in regards to renovations.

One of the highlight additions to the school was the Industrial Arts lab, which saw Bourgault Industries come on as a major partner in the project.

Bourgault helped design the lab and is supplying equipment that could help shape the future of students' careers, according to Mattock.

"It's a win-win for everyone. It provides kids with the skills they need to get out into the workforce and it's a stepping stone," she said.

Industrial Arts Teacher Jeremy Rolheiser (right) discusses the brand new IA shop with Director of Education Kevin Garinger (left).

Bourgault also provided projected numbers for students in future years to assist the division with planning out how much space was needed.

In total, the project is estimated at over $9-million and features four new classrooms, the IA lab, Practical and Applied Arts space, cooking and clothing lab, new washrooms, and expansion of the main entrance and library.

The school gym also saw an upgrade, with a new floor being added. Funds were raised through a 'Fund the Floor' initiative in the community.

Casavant added that they also have new mechanical work, which will give them air conditioning - something they previously did not have.

Others in attendance to bring greetings were HSD Board Chair Jim Hack, Director of Education Kevin Garinger, School Community Council Chair Mike Gauthier, St. Brieux Mayor Leon Rheaume, Bourgault President Gerry Bourgault, and MLA Kevin Phillips.