Students Celebrate New Yarmouth High School

Students in Yarmouth are learning in a modern, well-equipped, environmentally friendly new high school, officially opened by Education Minister Ramona Jennex, today, Dec. 17.

Ms. Jennex joined Grade 9 to 12 students at Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School (YCMHS) to share in the celebration.

"This new high school is a shining example of how we're putting kids and learning first as we build and renovate schools in communities across the province," said Ms. Jennex. "It has dedicated facilities for art, sciences, sports and more to give students a good education that will lead to good jobs."

YCMHS includes 29 classrooms, dedicated science labs, an art room, a raised drama room and a cafeteria-auditorium space. The grounds feature soccer fields and a basketball court.

"The new school is a significant improvement and the facilities work extremely well," said acting principal Don Berry. "We're enjoying the bright, open space of the school interior. Dedicated areas for sports, dance, and classroom activities, as well as science labs and art rooms, have contributed significantly to our school culture."

There are 950 students at the new school, which the province invested $20 million in over the past three years to build.

"The new school is a huge improvement over where we were before. It's bigger, brighter and there are more places to play sports, study or just hang out," said Kallie Hood, co-president of the school's student council.

The school is the first in the province to incorporate Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold standards. Environmentally friendly design elements include increased use of daylight for illumination and a wood-pellet burner system to help heat the school. The school is also expected to cost less to operate.