Works and Engineering Minister Leonard Gibbons yesterday told The Royal Gazette : "It's just about there.

"It certainly will be ready for the new school year in January. We're working our way through. I've got the `A' team working on it.'' The assembly hall -- which the school has been promised since 1972 -- was expected to be completed in time for the new school year.

But in October Mr. Gibbons said the building had not been completed due to a "multitude of issues'', including the fact that contractor Michael DeCosta of DeCosta Construction had experienced problems with his sub-contractors.

Principal Gail Graham, who was forced to postpone the school's prizegiving ceremony until January, said the event was tentatively scheduled for the middle of next month.

She stressed that she was determined to hold Whitney's final prizegiving ceremony as a high school in the new assembly hall.

"I think it will be gorgeous when it's done,'' Mrs. Graham said about the new multi-purpose building which will be able to be divided into three sections and used for a variety of functions, including as a cafeteria.

Whitney, St. George's Secondary, Warwick Secondary, Sandys Secondary and Dellwood are scheduled to become middle schools next September.

Whitney, along with the other four schools, is also expected to have a new computerised library in January.