City Centre elementary opens with ribbon-cutting in Richmond as teachers discuss building school culture

The Story

City Centre elementary in Richmond celebrated its official opening on Thursday with an Indigenous song, welcoming speeches and a ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking the latest chapter for a school building that has been in use for decades.

The school opened to students on Sept. 8 with about 200 learners in Grades 1 to 7. The Richmond School District acquired the property last year from a private owner for $60 million, transitioning the facility back into the public system.

Renovations have been underway for roughly a year inside the school, which was originally built in the late 1950s. The official opening ceremony also reflected the transition from the building’s prior private-school operations to its current role serving Richmond elementary students.

Grade 5/6 teacher Harvey Rollins told the ceremony attendees that teachers who chose to come to the new school were given a “rare opportunity” to shape its culture from the beginning. He said classrooms and hallways would, over time, become more than space for instruction, describing them as places that can hold “friendships, laughter, mistakes, successes and memories.”

Rollins also emphasized the possibility that comes with a new environment, saying there is “so much possibility” in a new school. He acknowledged that things might not be perfect at first, but said the priority is to try each day to do what staff believe is best for students rather than simply following past routines.

The building previously operated as a private school, Pythagoras Academy, for several years. Before that, it ran as Harry Eburne elementary, which closed in the late 1980s.

The ceremony’s broader context is that the school’s site has shifted roles over time, with the Harry Eburne closure leading to a land trade and the creation of three new elementary schools within the Richmond School District.