The new King’s Heights school set to open in September will be called Heloise Lorimer School – previously dubbed H. Lorimer – following a request from a family member.
“Heloise was a local legend,” Trustee Norma Lang said. “She’s somebody who everybody knew who she was. Her first name is such an important part of who she was. We do our best if we honour this local legend by including her whole name in the name of our school.”
Heloise Lorimer, born in 1912, was the first baby born in Airdrie. She went on to be affectionately dubbed as the “Queen of Airdrie.” She passed away in 2010 at the age of 98.
Lorimer’s son Buzz made an official request that trustees rename the school to include her full name.
“I think the name Heloise Lorimer means a whole lot more to a whole lot more people, (but these days) it’s more second generation, third generation of the people who knew her,” he said. “That’s why it was so important to me. I know mom was one of the more outstanding citizen’s in Airdrie’s history.
“Mom got along with everybody. Mom made a mark on human nature. That’s the difference between being known for your money, and being known for your personality and your love for other people.”
Heloise Lorimer School will open as a kindergarten to Grade 7 school and will serve students currently residing in King’s Heights and Ravenswood.
Maintenance budget
A budget for infrastructure maintenance and repair within Rocky View Schools (RVS) was set on Feb. 4, outlining which projects will see priority this year.
“We look at this list, and it’s quite extensive. There’s no way we can do it all,” Trustee Helen Clease said. “It’s overwhelming finding priorities. That must be one of the most difficult jobs out there.”
Funding for projects within RVS decreased by 44 per cent this year, for a total of $2.9 million. Priorities pinpointed by RVS administration are health and safety, priority building life cycle items, modernizations and program enhancements.
Repair projects identified in Airdrie include $600,000 to re-roof École Airdrie Middle School, $320,000 to replace mechanical items at R.J. Hawkey Elementary School and $70,000 to replace the rotting fascia at A.E. Bowers Elementary School.
RVS had a carryover budget of $3 million from last year, but the amount allocated for repair this year will reach approximately $7 million, leaving a deficit of approximately $500,000.
“I wish there was a pot of money we could access to keep everything to the standard that is the Rocky View Schools standard,” RVS Board Chair Colleen Munro said. “We sure do make sure the money that we do get does go very far. We’ve been looking after our schools and we will for a long time.”
