Corner Brook's newest school has been teaching students for more than a month now, but Eastside Elementary School officially opened Friday.
Originally opened in 1976 as Corner Brook East High School, it was later changed to G.C. Rowe Junior High School.
The new school houses students who formerly would have attended Humber Elementary School and St. Gerard's Elementary School, both of which closed at the end of the last school year.
Friday's official opening included a school assembly attended by parents and other special guests , including Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dale Kirby, and Tony Stack, chief executive officer of the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District and Municipal Affairs and Environment Minister Eddie Joyce, who is the Liberal legislature member for Humber-Bay of Islands.
The newly renovated school can accommodate more than 600 students, with enrollment for this September at 504. The school includes a refinished hardwood gymnasium floor and completely redeveloped stage lowered to age appropriate height, upgrades to mechanical ventilation system controls, the public address system and classroom technology, renovated washrooms, new flooring and ceilings, as well as improvements to the exterior including new paving. The total investment in the school was around $1.5 million.