With the help of some overly-anxious future students, ground was officially broken for the Lynn Fripps Elementary School in Willoughby.

Local and provincial politicians, as well as neighbourhood parents and their young children, were on hand for the ceremony on Tuesday morning. Simon van der Goes, whose late wife the school is named after, was also at the event.

The Kindergarten to Grade 7 school, which is expected to cost $15 million, is slated to open in September 2012. It is on 83 Avenue, east of 208 Street,

鈥淚t is always delightful when we can launch construction of a new school,鈥� said Education Minister George Abbott.

鈥淭his is an investment in our future.鈥�

鈥淭hey are clearly intent on getting started,鈥� Abbott added, about the three young children 鈥� Avery Zazula, 5, and Kaitlyn, 5, and Chase O鈥橤rady, 4 鈥� who had their kid-sized shovels and were hard at work digging a hole.

鈥淏reaking ground on this new school brings us closer to be able to provide more than 500 additional student spaces for families in this community,鈥� Abbott said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e adding extra classrooms to meet the needs of a growing community.鈥�

The school will have three all-day Kindergarten classes and spots for 60 students, and 18 classrooms for Grades 1-7, with space for 450 students.

There will also be a neighbourhood learning centre.

School board chair Steve Burton thanked the local MLAs 鈥� Rich Coleman and Mary Polak 鈥� for their efforts in helping the school get built.

鈥淲e know that the school and its neighbourhood learning centre will become a hub where people gather to learn, access services, share ideas and get to know each other,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e鈥檝e worked hard to make sure government understands the needs of our growing community,鈥� Polak said in a press release. She was not present at the ceremony.

鈥淣ow our kids can look forward to a new school in their neighbourhood.鈥�

This is the fourth elementary school in the Willoughby area and it is expected to be at capacity when it opens.

After pushing for and getting this school built, through partnering with the school district, the Township and the ministry of education, Coleman said the next step of the plan is to get a middle school built in Willoughby.

鈥淲e know we will fill up another school,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow we can concentrate on the middle school, which is next for this area.鈥�

鈥淭he ministry in conjunction with its partners, is looking at the overall needs of 91原创 and Surrey,鈥� Abbott said. 鈥淭hey are rapidly growing school districts, so we are looking at their needs.鈥�

鈥淲e know the growth in this area is not likely to decline,鈥� Abbott added.

鈥淲e need to be thinking about it in terms of growth and demand.鈥�