Heather Wright/The Independent

Breanne Patton was a mother of one when the Lambton-Kent District School Board started talking about a JK to Grade 12 school for Forest.

Thursday, she and her three children, who are in Grades 5, 3 and one, were among parents, teachers, principals, administrators, trustees, and politicians as the board turned the sod on the $74 million Blue Coast District School on Townsend Line.

“I’m excited that it’s actually happening,” says the mother of three, who with her children were all wearing Grand Bend Lakers’ public school shirts. Patton’s children will attend high school in the new building.

“The fact that we dug holes in the ground today, I think means that it’s really going to happen.”

It has been a long wait to get to this point. The Lambton-Kent District School Board received approval to build the school which includes three child care and two EarlyON rooms Aug. 20 after eight years of planning lobbying.

Thursday, during the sod turning ceremony, Director of Education Gary Girardi thanked the province for the funding and the parents in the area for their patience.

“Thank you for trusting us,” Girardi said. “I know at times it seemed like we weren’t going to get there, but we have and we appreciate the fact that you trusted us.”

The ceremony was the second event to mark the beginning of the new school. Oct. 3, traditional knowledge keepers from the four First Nations which are part of the public board held a land ceremony with members of the board and administrators. Chief Kimberly Bressette of Kettle and Stony Point says the elders of the communities “come together and bring ceremony” to bless the land.

“It’s an important part of reconciliation for us…we do our protocols before and it helps us know that we’re a part of that. It’s our treaty territory but we are still a part of everything that’s going on there.”

Bressette added the First Nations are actively involved in the planning of the building to ensure there are spaces for children from their communities.

The full details of the building which will house 1,186 students have yet to be revealed. The board is now receiving bids from contractors for the massive project. The tender call closes in November. It’s not clear how long it will be before the board chooses the winning bid.

Officials have said it could take up to two years to build before students are actually in the new school.