St. Elizabeth High School closed after fire

January 7, 2014
Vaughan Weekly
By Angela Gismondi

Students at St. Elizabeth Catholic High School (CHS) in Thornhill did not return to class Monday and it wasn’t because of weather.

The school, located at 525 New Westminster Drive, closed after a fire broke out at the school on Dec. 29. Nobody was in the school at the time and there were no injuries as a result of the fire.

“We are thankful that no one was there and there are no injuries,” Michael Nasello, superintendent of education for the York Catholic District School Board, told The Weekly on Monday.

According to the school’s website, the cause appears to be electrical, possibly related to power failures caused by the ice storm.

All school buildings, including the theatre and portables were shut down and staff and students are unable to access the school for the week. School bus transportation was also cancelled.

“The health and safety of all staff and students is the top priority and the primary goal is to get everyone back into school as soon as possible,” states the school’s website.

Repairs are currently being done on the school. The closure will last about a week and is expected to reopen on Monday, Jan. 13.

“We’re on track to reopen on Monday at this point, barring any unforeseen events,” said Nasello, adding the board will confirm a return date by tomorrow (Thursday).

Slight adjustments will be made to the school schedule to make up for the delayed start to the second semester. The semester will be shortened and exams, which were supposed to begin in the next few weeks, will be delayed to make up for the missed week.

“This is an important time for students with exams coming up,” said Nasello.“ We’re going to spread it out so it won’t impact students in any way.”

Check the school website at seh.ycdsb.ca for updates and for additional information on the progress of the school’s repairs.