After much anticipation, Grandview Heights Secondary celebrated its official opening ceremony today (Thursday, Feb. 3) to cheers and applause from the school community and guests.
While the new secondary school has been open since September, the pandemic delayed the possibility of hosting an official opening ceremony until recent months. The event was held safely outdoors and included remarks from Surrey Board of Education chair Laurie Larsen, on behalf of trustees, as well as from Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside and PAC president Lakhbir Johal.
A plaque with a territorial acknowledgment of the shared, unceded, traditional territory of the Katzie, Semiahmoo and Kwantlen First Nations was also installed inside the school. The plaque was designed by Rain Pierre, a Katzie artist and Fraser Heights Secondary graduate who previously designed some of the Indigenous artwork on display at École Salish Secondary.
"We are proud to give Grandview Heights Secondary the opening it deserves," said Larsen. "In just the past few months, the school has already become a centrepiece for this growing area and a staple of the community for families, and will continue to be for many years to come."
The 60-classroom, three-storey Grandview Heights Secondary is the first new secondary school in South Surrey in 28 years, with more than 1,170 Grade 8 to 11 students and 65 staff members. The school's state-of-the-art design features a large multi-purpose atrium, two gymnasiums, a theatre, dance studio, music and band room, modern shop facilities, learning studios, collaboration spaces, breakout rooms, science labs, computer labs, learning commons, fitness room and weight room.
The project cost for the school totalled $82 million, with construction taking place over 29 months. The environmentally conscious design offers a 50% reduction in energy use compared to an LEED Gold Baseline.
The school has helped to alleviate longtime overcrowding at Earl Marriott Secondary (EMS) and Semiahmoo Secondary, reducing the need for portables at EMS and bringing its count down from 11 to six. Grandview Heights Secondary serves as the secondary school for the catchments of Morgan Elementary, Pacific Heights Elementary, Rosemary Heights Elementary, Sunnyside Elementary and parts of the Douglas Elementary and Edgewood Elementary areas.
