Local dignitaries, school officials, and two volunteer students cut the ribbon on Blackfalds' new school, Iron Ridge Secondary Campus. (rdnewsNOW/Ashley Lavallee-Koenig)

By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

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Blackfalds opens first secondary campus

Sep 13, 2024 | 2:02 PM

Blackfalds now has its first high school after the opening of the Iron Ridge Secondary Campus, just in time for this school year.

The new campus welcomed 300 Grade 9-11 students and 19 staff this year, and held a grand opening ceremony with students, community members, and local dignitaries on September 12.

Before the opening of this school, principal Ed Coles said that Blackfalds high schoolers were bussed to Lacombe, which has been approaching 100 per cent capacity. Grade 12 students of this year are finishing their high school years in Lacombe, so Iron Ridge will welcome its first graduation class in the 2025-2026 school year.

“The biggest need was having an identity for the community and having it a place for the students that was their own, and now we have that,” said Coles.

The campus is a part of the Central Alberta Collegiate Institute, offering dual credit courses in partnership with colleges like SAIT and NAIT.

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“If you take a look around, we have a fantastic welding program, carpentry, eventually we’ll have mechanics when we get a little bit bigger,” Coles shared. “We have a full cosmetology lab that will be providing cosmetology for the community, and foods programs, so everything you would see at any other major high school, just ours is brand new.”

Blackfalds Mayor Jamie Hoover said the school is long overdue considering the growth the region has seen in the last decade.

“I know that a high school in any community is really the centre for culture. It’s really the place that the students or youth in our community start to develop their community pride and their civic pride, so not having that and having them go to another community really was a detriment,” he said. “It’s hard to express how excited I am that we’re finally bringing youth back into our community.”

Construction of the school began in May 2022, with officials receiving the keys in June this summer.

Through student engagement, the bison was chosen as the school’s team and logo. (rdnewsNOW/Ashley Lavallee-Koenig)

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