Phoenix Academy has had some humble beginnings, starting just eighteen years ago in the basement of the Holy Trinity Catholic School Division's basement.

Moving from their basement to their facility on Athabasca Street, the school finally got the upgrade they need with a new building in the old Fourth Avenue Medical Clinic.

Yesterday, October 7th, they celebrated the move, inviting our local politicians and members of the Holy Trinity Catholic School Division for a ceremony.

Following a welcome from Principal Jeff Lynnes, speeches and well beings were given by MLA Warren Michelson, Mayor Fraiser Tolmie, Chair on the Holy Trinity Board Joann Blazeiko, and Phoenix SCC Helen Ryan. Father George Thattuparampil then blessed the new building.

The new facility was well earned, only being funded by HTCSD's "rainy day" funds, and not relying on provincial funding. They managed to get by through other means.

"We recycled all the doors, the trim," explained Principal Lynnes. "We recycled the windows, the sliding doors from the pharmacy we also had the sinks and cupboards that were recycled and re purposed."

The facility was worked for, as they begun the process by securing it in January 2017 and getting it ready for use, not exactly finished, for the beginning of the school year. It was exactly what the teachers and staff wanted though.

"The teachers are ecstatic [when they were told about the building]. Jeff was excited, he couldn't believe it, and we let them design what they wanted," said Joann Blazeiko. "We didn't put input from the board. The staff got to pick out how the rooms got to be developed. It's their building, it's the kids building."

After the ribbon was cut, everyone was excited, not only about the new facility, but a new step into the future of education.

The students are amazing and, like I said, every year that I've worked here it never felt like work," said Principal Lynnes. "It feels like passion. You wake up every day and you want to be here. The students are enthusiastic, energetic, and we feed off their spirit and their enthusiasm for life. The staff here are amazing, dedicated, hard-working. And I try not to get in their way."