Edmonton’s newest school hosted its first-ever first day of classes on Wednesday. St. Carlo Acutis Catholic High School on 153 Avenue in Castle Downs welcomed some 600 Grade 10 and 11 students on Wednesday, the first day of class for that school division. “I’m feeling very nervous. I couldn’t really sleep last night, but it was all I could think of,” said Grade 10 student Matteo Rellegue as he was walking up to the front entrance. “(It’s) a little nervewracking… But this is like a new opportunity,” echoed Grade 11 student Natnael Meherteab. Construction on the school started in 2023 and was completed on schedule for about $59 million, a little more than the initial cost estimate of $51 million. It will accept more students in stages: 1,000 students next year, and then its max capacity of 1,300 for the 2028-29 academic year. All the while, the expectation is that it will ease enrollment pressure at Archbishop O’Leary Catholic High School, the only other Catholic high school north of Yellowhead Trail. “Certainly we’ve seen that to a certain amount. It’ll take the first three years, though, to see the full extent of that impact on other local high schools,” principal Susan Coates told CTV News Edmonton. “I’m very confident that this is all going to come together. There’s strong buy-in and great excitement with our students and their families,” she added, noting a parent information night was “very, very well attended.” The first day at St. Carlo Acutis Catholic High School consisted of an assembly where students were introduced to their teachers, school tours, and administrative tasks like picking up IDs, textbooks and lockers. Food trucks were brought onto the site for lunch before the first classes were held in the afternoon. “It looks like every other high school. We are ready to go. We have volleyball tryouts this afternoon after school all this week. Staff have already signed up and volunteered to lead various clubs,” Coates said. The students who spoke to CTV News Edmonton said they were excited for a fresh start. “I heard they had a pretty good foods class, so I’m kind of excited to try that,” Meherteab commented. He was also pleased his school commute would be cut in half by transferring from St. Joseph Catholic High School near Kingsway. “I just wanted a new experience, so I came to St. Carlo,” said another Grade 11 student, Noble Boateng. “I was concerned about (the school being newly finished) at the start, but I saw the potential in the school.” Rellegue added, “I hope to meet some friends that were from my old school and make some new friends here and have fun.” The school boasts about its advanced placement program and hockey academy. It was named after Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old boy who garnered a reputation for spreading Catholic teachings on the internet in the early 2000s before he became sick and died of leukemia in 2006. He was made a saint in 2025 after being credited with two miracles. He is commonly called the first millennial saint and the saint of the internet. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nicole Lampa and Evan Klippenstein
