Holy Trinity School students, staff begin year in new building

8/15/2007
BY JANET ROMAKER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Holy Trinity Principal Linda Justen, foreground, takes in the dedication of the new $5 million Fulton County school in a cermony conducted by Bishop Leonard Blair.
Holy Trinity Principal Linda Justen, foreground, takes in the dedication of the new $5 million Fulton County school in a cermony conducted by Bishop Leonard Blair.

ASSUMPTION When art teacher Nancy Sasala was prepping her Holy Trinity classroom in anticipation of the start of the new school year, she grabbed a bucket and headed out of her room to find water.

Then she stopped.

With glee, she remembered she didn t have to track down a water source: Her new classroom has a sink with running water.

I m in Heaven right now, and the kids are very excited, said Mrs. Sasala.

The addition of an art room sink is just one of many changes the staff and students are embracing as they settle into the new Holy Trinity School in this Fulton County community.

Visitors gathered on Sunday to celebrate the opening of the $5 million building.

Bishop Leonard Blair dedicated the new 15-room school during a Mass which was followed by tours and a reception.

Classes began yesterday in the new school, which Principal Linda Justen described as absolutely beautiful.

The new school is much more conducive to education today, compared to the old Holy Trinity School that dates to 1915, she said.

The former school building had pails that caught rain water from leaking roofs. It was short on space and lacked amenities such as a gymnasium with enough room to host home basketball games.

The new building s library, computer lab, and classrooms are larger than those in the old school, and the stage in the new auditorium will be used as a music classroom. A blue room area in the computer lab will provide a location for students to do announcements and news reports via closed-circuit TV.

The brand new regulation-sized gymnasium, which features four basketball backboards, will be used for parish functions as well as school-related events, Mrs. Justen said.

The gym, which has a concession stand, will be available on a rental basis for events such as wedding receptions, and will be used for parish activities.

The school s kitchen can be rented out to groups as well. Sharon Williams, cafeteria supervisor, predicts food will taste a lot better cooked in the new kitchen. It s bigger, it s newer. It s not antiquated, she said as she looked around at the gleaming equipment.

Because the old school didn t have a garbage disposal, students scrapped food off their plates after lunch, Mrs. Williams said.

But with the new kitchen equipment, that messy task no longer will be part of the daily activities.

The new kitchen, with a walk-in cooler and freezer, has cooking space suitable for a school with 130 students (preschool through eighth grade).

A capital campaign raised funds for the new school. We had to have 50 percent of the money pledged to start construction, Mrs. Justen said. And, she said, enrollment could increase as students and parents learn about the new school.

A one-story section of the old school will be kept; it has been renovated and converted into parish offices and meeting rooms.

Holy Trinity might offer evening events and after-school programs to encourage students, parents, and community residents to make use of the building beyond the school day. For instance, art and chess clubs could meet at the school in the afternoons after classes end.

We are looking at expanding our programming, but that is still in the planning stages, Mrs. Justen said.