50 students displaced by Fort McMurray fire start classes at northwest Calgary school

About 50 children from Fort McMurray started school Tuesday morning at University School in northwest Calgary.

The return to classes helps bring a sense of normalcy back into the lives of the displaced children, said Brant Parker, director of Area 1 schools for the Calgary Board of Education.

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The new children were welcomed with a song by students already attending the school.

"I have to say, the school community is welcoming them with open arms," Parker said.

"They reflect a safe and caring environment and I think the welcoming you see from students is a manifestation of the care students have for their school, for one another, and for their counterparts that have been displaced from Fort McMurray," Parker said.

Another 30 to 40 students are anticipated to register at University School by the end of the day.

"We'll do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to ensure that the children who are our guests here are able to achieve the greatest degree of success that they can," Parker said.

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