CatholicBoardThe 2014 graduation rates for the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board were announced on Tuesday night.  The local board had a success rate of 80 percent for students attending high school for four years, and 83 percent for those who attended for five years.  The provincial rates were 76 percent and 84 percent respectively. A variety of specialized programs, course types and learning strategies were among the reasons mentioned for the good numbers at the Huron-Superior board. There is a plan from the Huron-Superior board regarding next steps to improve on those rates.  This includes tracking of students moving to other boards in the province and tracking and re-engagement of early school leavers. The CSCNO French Catholic School Board also released their grad rate numbers yesterday and fared even better.  It had an 88 percent success rate for those attending high school for four years — the rate for those attending for five years was 92 percent. 

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As the start of the next school year draws closer, most of the work to construct the new St. Mary’s College is pretty well completed.  In the latest update for Catholic school board trustees, the only exceptions are flooring, T-bar ceilings and chalk boards/tack boards in the north section of the school.  More than 35 million of the original contract sum of 41 million dollars worth of work has been done as of the end of March. The original construction schedule suggested that close to 80 percent of the project would be done at that time.  The actual number is just over 85 percent.

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A pair of properties in Espanola were included in the topics mentioned at Tuesday’s Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board meeting.  A recommendation was made to trustees to allow the properties to be bought, which the group approved.  This permits a new elementary school to be built by both the Huron-Superior board and the CSCNO French Catholic board in the town.