A new Catholic high school in South Surrey, St. John Paull II Academy, opened its doors in a open house event Sunday, welcoming visitors into its freshly finished halls.
Outside, a statue of St. John Paul II — the world's third-longest serving pope in history and the school's patron saint — greets guests with outstretched arms and the words 'Be not afraid', engraved at the bottom
A project the St. John Paul II Academy Foundation has spent years planning, everyone at the new high school, including some of the students themselves, was happy to be on hand at the open house event, which also featured refreshments and a barbecue, as well as a chance to tour the school, which opened to approximately 140 students Wednesday (Sept. 3).
"We'll eventually be able to hold 540 students ... there are some unfinished areas," explained Troy Van Vliet, founder and chairman of the Foundation board, at the event, noting there are some unfinished areas inside the lower-level classrooms as well as an unfinished artist space and theatre.
"It definitely serves a need in the area — in Vancouver proper, there's 55,000 students roughly in K to 12, and we have four Catholic high schools in the city of Vancouver proper. In the city of Surrey, there are 85,000 kids in K to 12, and we had one Catholic high school (Holy Cross). So it was really needed in this area."
Although planned for more than a decade, issues such as COVID, supply chain issues and more made the project seem near-impossible at times, a release said.
“This has been more than a project — it has been a calling,” said Van Vliet in the release. “Through prayer, persistence, and the unwavering support of our Catholic families and community, St. John Paul II Academy is now a reality. It stands as a testament to what can be accomplished when people of faith come together for future generations.”
A bright, open and airy space, the new school features garage-style doors that open into a common courtyard from three different inside spaces, as well as classrooms with the same styl doors that can open to allow a breakaway, or workshop space, a library as well as athletic fields and a gymnasium.
Although the new high school is a Catholic school, Van Vliet said students don't necessarily have to be of the Catholic faith.
"All are welcomed. We're a Catholic school but we have many non-Catholics as well," he said Sunday. "We're a big school that promotes reverence for life and that's going to show, going forward ... we've got a very strong learning support resource centre in the school as well."
The new high school is located at 2358 182 Street.
