Classes Resume At Vaughan School Hit By Tornado
Posted November 10, 2009 12:41 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Tuesday marked the first day of school, so to speak, for some kids in Vaughan.
Students from St. Peter’s Catholic elementary walked through the doors of their refurbished school for the first time after extensive repairs were completed following the tornado that touched down in Vaughan on Aug. 20.
“I felt great this morning, I wanted to get up early, go to school, help to make sure everything was in place,” Grade 8 student Alicia said. “I was really excited to come back.”
The category F2 twister ripped the roof off the school and caused extensive damage to the ventilation system, which required approximately $2.5 million worth of repairs.
“The transformation was just unbelievable. I’m just so pleased about how everything turned out – I mean we virtually have a new school,” principal Jo-Anne Dawson said. “I mean it’s from top to bottom, the ceilings to the floors, the paintjob throughout, so it really was a blessing almost that we got a new school.”
The 400 St. Peter’s students attended classes at the nearby St. Francis of Assisi and Immaculate Conception schools while the repairs were being made.
More than 600 homes were also damaged in the storm, trees were uprooted and power lines downed, which prompted officials to declare a state of emergency in the city.
