École catholique Monseigneur-Augustin-Caron in LaSalle will celebrate a special milestone today.
The school is hosting a day of activities in honour of its 25th anniversary, since September 1972 the school has been committed to serving Francophone students in the area.
Officials are inviting those in the area to attend the day of activities which will celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of the Franco-Ontarian youth and French education professionals who have passed through the doors of the French-language Catholic elementary school.
Principle Richard Szwed says preparations for the event have been ongoing for a year.
"Everything begins at 1 p.m. There will be a ceremony in the gymnasium around 1:30 p.m. that'll probably last around an hour or so, and we'll have special guests showing up. MP Chris Lewis, MPP Anthony Leardi, we'll have school board trustees, our director of education and many other guests including parents and students past and present," he said.
A number of activities have been organized in honour of the event with several student performances expected on top of the official ceremony.
Szwed was at the school when it originally opened back, though not as principle at the time.
"I was here when we opened it in 1997-98, and I came back again about 14 years as Vice-Principle, and the first time's a charm right? So I'm back here to celebrate the 25th with staff and the school community."
He says as part of the festivities there will be a video montage celebrating a lot of what's happened at the school over the past 25 years.
"We'll have a slideshow presentation as well during the ceremony in the gymnasium. Our Phys Ed department has put together a photo collage if you will of past sporting events, tournaments and different activities over the years. We'll also have a photographer here on hand to take pictures of the big event, families, and candid photos of people mingling who haven't seen each other in years," Szwed said.
The networking day is an opportunity for residents and former alumni to commemorate the school, which officials say has been offering a high quality education to LaSalle's Francophone community and contributing to the broad reach and development of the faith and of Francophone culture since its inception.