Education officials held a ceremony Tuesday to mark the official opening of Prospect Primary School, hailing the facility a benchmark for future schools in Cayman.

Prospect Primary was completed on schedule for the start of the September school year but just three days after opening quickly shifted gears to become a haven for hundreds of people during Hurricane Ivan.

“For six weeks, this school served as a bastion for over 800 men, women, boys and girls – yours truly included,” said principal Michael Walker.

Prospect Primary re–opened 10 November. Around 200 students are enrolled.

“It is just marvellous to see the school now in its proper guise,” said the Governor, Mr. Bruce Dinwiddy, at the ceremonies. He and his wife Emma visited the school several times during its tenure as a shelter.

Education minister Roy Bodden said the $10 million state–of–the–art facility, which was constructed to hurricane specifications, will be used as a model in the future, and suggested the government will be embarking on another major school project soon.

“It is in education that the future of our country lies most securely.”

The 33,500–square–foot, single–storey school on Poindexter Road – the first of its kind in Cayman – was designed by OBM and constructed by Hadsphaltics Ltd.