SACRED HEART'S FACELIFT IN PLACE

by James Keller

When Charlotte Riley graduated from Sacred Heart School in 1981, her classrooms didn't have computers, LCD projectors or digital video editing suites.

More than two decades later, she uses the technology everyday as a teacher in the independent Catholic school, helping her students in ways that weren't possible before.

"The Grade 9s and 10s have been doing a lot of video projects in the new media centre," she said.

"This year, students filmed small interviews in beginner Spanish. Throughout the year they can watch themselves and see their own progression."

The media centre is part of $3-million renovation project at the Halifax school that started with a major fundraising effort in 2001 and ended last week.

During that time the school, which educates mostly girls, has added a three-storey building with classrooms, a new science lab and relocated the school chapel.

Alumni, parents and other members of the community donated money to the project. The fundraising total fell within dollars of their $3 million goal, said headmistress Patricia Donnelly.

Grade 10 student Carla Crossman said the technology in the new classrooms, which opened last fall, changed the way she learns.

"You get a whole new way to do it," she said. "As the technology gets better and better, you spend more time using it. Everything's hands-on now."

Ms. Riley said while the new facilities have had an impact on teaching, they've worked to ensure changes fit in with Sacred Heart's teaching methods.

"School traditions are still the same, but the standards of education are perhaps even higher because we have a lot more technology that we didn't have when I was a student," she said.

Ms. Donnelly said class sizes will remain at less than 20 students and enrollment at about 450 students.

She said the school, run on a non-profit basis, needs to fundraise because it doesn't receive government funding.

"We don't get tax money from the province, and tuition doesn't cover anything beyond day-to-day expenses."

The three-year drive was in addition to the Sacred Heart's annual fundraising efforts.

The school only launches major projects like this about once every 10 years, Ms. Donnelly said.