STUDENTS attending Tully State High School will benefit from millions of dollars in additional facilities that didn’t exist before Yasi tore through the school, Premier Anna Bligh said.
“Yasi caused about $5 million damage to the school but it is getting $13.2 million in repairs and new additions,” Ms Bligh said.
“That’s nearly three times what the spend would have been if we’d simply repaired the damage.
“We’re rebuilding this school to be bigger and better than before and I congratulate the school community for its commitment to the area’s children,” she said.
Facilities to be built that did not exist pre Yasi include:
a seven-classroom interactive learning centrea hospitality and catering kitchen, anda creative arts precinct incorporating an amphitheatre and outdoor performance area.“These new facilities will complement the school curriculum and provide new learning opportunities for students.
“The rebuild will also feature a central area for students that will become the new ‘green heart’ of this great school.
“After Cyclone Yasi destroyed or damaged 75% of buildings on these grounds, we asked the school and community what they wanted.
“Consultations with the school community have taken some time but the end result will benefit students for decades,” Ms Bligh said.
Ms Bligh said the school’s D Block would also be refurbished as part of the works program, with upgrades to 12 existing classrooms and the provision of a new staff room.
“Tully State High is showing that a great school spirit cannot be swept away by a cyclone,” she said.
Ms Bligh said construction work was expected to start in April, following the region’s wet season, and was forecast for completion in 2013.
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