Superintendent Dwayne Zarichny speaks to members of the community about sponsorship opportunities for the new Holy Trinity Academy K-9 school at a luncheon at Sammy's Kitchen and Bar on Monday. The Catholic school division is seeking approximately $4 million in sponsorship money to complete the project.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
With construction on schedule for the new Holy Trinity Academy K-9 school to open in 2027, the school division is reaching out to the community as it seeks to raise approximately $4 million to complete the project.
The total cost for the new school, which includes two full-sized gymnasiums and a 400-seat theatre, is pegged at $70 million. The Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education has received $65 million from the province for the project. MHCBE has also secured more than $900,000 through fundraising, grants and the sale of St. Louis School.
This leaves a funding gap of $4.1 million to raise within the community through a variety of sponsorship opportunities.
During a luncheon event Monday at Sammy’s Kitchen and Bar, school officials presented sponsorship levels ranging from under $1,000 to more than $250,000, including naming rights to various facilities like one of the gymnasiums, the library and the theatre as well as other modern learning spaces including the science or food labs.
During the luncheon, superintendent Dwayne Zarichny spoke about the school’s unique role as a community resource that will be built to host sport and cultural events while ensuring accessibility for all members of the community.
“And that’s going to be a really exciting component for Medicine Hat because we have sort of an in-between-size theatre that will be in the city and it’ll be a very affordable theatre to access,” explained Zarichny.
“(It’s an) opportunity to host these types of events, which draws people in, and at the same time, when these people are in the facility, then they’re encountering the names of sponsors that donated to the project.”
The division has released four methods of donating to Holy Trinity Academy, including sponsorships and support pledges over a timed period, plus monthly and one-time donations.
Large-scale naming sponsorship opportunities include a $1-million donation to name one of the gymnasiums, as well as the theatre, $750,000 for the accessible playground, $250,000 for the Fine Arts Program and $100,000 for the library.
Several other sponsorship naming opportunities from $5,000 to $60,000 are also available for staff rooms, the sensory room, classrooms and more. Donors can also purchase a seat in the theatre with their name for $1,000.
In total there are more than 60 sponsorship opportunities that if sold, will raise the full sought amount.
Amanda Fedor, fundraising co-ordinator with the division, says all donations will include a tax receipt.
“The good thing is we partner with the Catholic Schools Education Foundation and they’re a registered charity and we are able to provide tax receipts for everything,” said Fedor.
Officially the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education is planning an official opening date for the new school on Aug. 27, 2027, however it is hoping to gain control of the building by next March if construction remains on schedule.
This will allow staff members from all three feeder schools – St. Mary’s, St. Michael’s and St. Francis Xaiver – to get settled into their new learning spaces before welcoming the first batch of students.
If all runs smoothly, the school will welcome students from St. Mary’s and St. Michael’s for the beginning of the 2027 school year.
