Holy Spirit unveils $19 million upgrade to school facilities

The project features a new learning centre, including a library and new work spaces; a renovated hall for multiple uses; a new gym; a study space for year 12 students; an IT service desk; a renovated staff lunchroom and study; and a new building containing six classrooms.

Principal Christopher Agnew said the school had about 1250 students and was growing.

"The school's exceeded enrolment expectations... a lot of our classrooms previously were in demountables," Mr Agnew said.

But now, with the new learning spaces, many of these demountables were moving off-site.

Mr Agnew said the school was already seeing the benefits of the learning centre, with students using the space to work collaboratively or remain after school to work.

"It's a really nice space," he said.

Mr Agnew said the new, more modern classrooms made a "huge difference" to the learning environment and fostered a greater sense of respect.

"The previous facilities were really dated," he said.

"Some of the staff facilities, nothing had happened with them in probably 40 years."

With Holy Spirit College formed by the amalgamation of two schools in 1983, Mr Agnew said the project was also about creating one big school that worked more efficiently.

It was funded with a $1.8 million state government grant, a donation of about $400,000 from the Parents and Friends Association, and Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong.

It was the second stage of a renewal project, the first of which was completed by early 2022.

It included a centralised administration space, a new school frontage, and nine classrooms.

A third stage, which will see the construction of a creative and performing arts space, is in the planning stages.

Mr Agnew put the school's growing enrolments down to families in the northern Illawarra seeking a co-educational school which offered Catholic values and a quality education.

He said the school provided a diverse range of opportunities for students' various interests, adding: "There's no one type of student that comes to Holy Spirit".

The new spaces were officially opened and blessed at a ceremony on Tuesday, July 2, which was attended by Bishop of Wollongong Brian Mascord, the diocese's director of schools Peter Hill, and parliamentary secretary Greg Warren.