New Essa high school approved
By Richard Blanchard

Essa mayor Dave Guergis was ecstatic Thursday morning, about the Simcoe County District School Board's decision to construct a new high school in the township.

"I'm over the moon about the board's decision," he said. "This decision has been many years in the making. I'm just so happy."

Board trustees voted last Wednesday night to include a high school in Essa Township on its list of new schools requiring funding, which will be submitted to the provincial Ministry of Education.

The new school would take students from Essa who currently attend Bear Creek Secondary School in Barrie and Banting Memorial High School in Alliston.

"This is a good move for everyone in South Simcoe," said Guergis. "It will be good for Barrie, Alliston and Bradford by taking off some of the population pressure off existing schools.

"We have 12 portables at Banting and 19 at Beer Creek to hold students. With all the construction planned for this area, a new high school in Essa is absolutely necessary."

Guergis, who has said that the construction of a high school in the Angus area was one of the chief reasons that he entered politics in the mid-1990s.

Guergis said he had been told in 1991 that a new high school in Angus was seven years away from being built.

"Well, its been a bit longer than that date. But still the decision is great," he said.

Guergis spoke to board trustees about the need for the school, along with Angus area trustee Sandie Macdonald and other community representatives.

"We were told that it be likely three to five years before the new high school is completed in the township," said Guergis.