David Kerr
Pupils will finally move into the new Wick Campus tomorrow after a heavily delayed building process.
The new school complex will incorporate Newton Park Primary and Nursery, Wick High School and community facilities.
The official opening tomorrow marks the end of a long-running construction saga.
The campus was originally pencilled in to open in 2014 but the addition of a new primary school pushed it back to 2015.
It has subsequently been hit by a number of “snagging” delays.
The official opening will be preceeded by a procession of primary school pupils walking from the Old Pultneytown Academy building to their new school, led by bagpiper Alistair Miller and P7 pupil Chester Henry.
Lilian Wark, head teacher of Newton Park Primary said: “This is a historic day for us as pupils attending Newton Park Primary School enter the new Wick joint Campus. It not only marks the beginning of a new era but final closure of the former Pulteneytown Academy Primary and South Primary schools which have combined last August to become Newton Park Primary School.
Parents, grandparents and carers will be invited to view the new school on Tuesday, May 2 at an event hosted by pupils.
Fiona Grant, head teacher of Wick High School added: “For well over a century Wick High School served the local community of East Caithness in its premises on West Banks Avenue.
“Now, our staff and pupils look forward with great excitement and enthusiasm to the next chapter of our school’s rich history as we move to our state-of-the-art building.
“The move marks the culmination of months of preparatory work in making the transition from old to new, most recently involving each pupil having a guided tour of the school and community facilities.”
The project was delivered by hub North Scotland for Highland Council.
Michael Padzinski, chief executive of hub North Scotland, said: “We are delighted that the students and teaching staff have an excellent environment to learn and develop in.
“We have worked closely with the Highland Council, Morrison Construction and key stakeholders to create a world class, modern learning campus that will be at the heart of the community for years to come.”
