St. John Paul II Catholic Secondary School
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2009) |
St. John Paul II Catholic Secondary School | |
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Roman Catholic | |
Founded | September 6, 1983 |
School board | Toronto Catholic District School Board (Metropolitan Separate School Board) |
Superintendent | Ryan Peterson Area 8 |
Area trustee | Nancy Crawford Ward 12 |
School number | 531 / 751537 |
Principal | Scotula Navaratnasingham |
Faculty | 44 |
Grades | 9–12 |
Enrollment | 1,267 (2022-23) |
Colour(s) | Navy, silver, white |
Mascot | Panthers |
Nickname | Pope |
Team name | Pope Panthers |
Newspaper | Off The Wall |
Feeder schools | Alvin Curling Public School Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Catholic School Cardinal Leger Catholic School Chief Dan George Public School Eastview Public School Galloway Public School Henry Hudson Senior Public School Highland Creek Public School Highcastle Public School Jack Miner Senior Public School John G Diefenbaker Public School Joseph Brant Public School Joseph Howe Senior Public School Meadowvale Public School Military Trail Public School Morrish Public School Sacred Heart Catholic School St. Barbara Catholic School St. Bede Catholic School St. Brendan Catholic School St. Dominic Savio Catholic School St. Edmund Campion Catholic School St. Florence Catholic School St. Gabriel Lalemant Catholic School St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic School St. Malachy Catholic School St. Margaret's Public School St. Martin de Porres Catholic School St. Thomas More Catholic School St. Urusla Catholic School Tecumseh Senior Public School West Hill Public School |
Parish | St. Thomas More |
Specialist High Skills Major | Arts and Culture Business Health and Wellness Sports |
Program Focus |
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Website | www |
St. John Paul II Catholic Secondary School (occasionally known as SJPII, St. John Paul II, SJPIICSS, JPII, or in short, Pope); known as Blessed Pope John Paul II Catholic Secondary School and Pope John Paul II Catholic Secondary School before the beatification of John Paul II is a publicly funded
History
Pontiff
John Paul II is considered by some authorities to have helped to end Communist rule in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe.[1] John Paul II worked to improve the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He was criticised by progressives for upholding the Church's teachings against artificial contraception and the ordination of women, and by traditionalists for his support of the Church's Second Vatican Council and its reforms.
He visited 129 countries during his pontificate,
Background
In September 1955, the first high school in the area West Hill Collegiate Institute opened to serve the growing communities of West Hill, Guildwood and Highland Creek years after the end of World War II. Over the years, several catholic separate schools in the Metropolitan Separate School Board (later became the Toronto Catholic District School Board) were established: St. Martin De Porres and St. Ursula in 1964, St. Thomas More in 1968, St. Malachy in the 10-acre site in 1969, St. Edmund Campion in 1971, St. Bede in 1978, and Cardinal Leger in 1988. The adjacent Military Trail Public School was built in 1968.
Realizing the overcrowding in
By 1985, Pope began construction of the current physical structure accommodating 1,074 pupils with the first 12 classrooms. Until its completion in September 1988, the building now consists of the gymnasia, library, cafeteria, tech shops, and additional classrooms. Although Pope's current building was opened and blessed in early 1989, 23 portables were placed due to the growing student population.
The board approved the renaming of the school to Blessed Pope John Paul II Catholic Secondary School on June 16, 2011, following John Paul II's beatification the previous month.[8] In June 2014 the board renamed the school to St. John Paul II Catholic Secondary School after John Paul II's canonization.[5][9][10]
Overview
Campus
St. John Paul II sits on a 14-acre land once held by the former St. Bede. The facilities consist of a baseball diamond-like structure building with 41 classrooms, seven science laboratories, three gymnasia, a large library, a student services area, a drama room, two music rooms, a drafting room, two tech shops, and two art rooms as well as a 400m eight-lane track and athletic field regularly found in public secular collegiate schools. To meet the demand for overcrowding, there are 13 portable classrooms in place. As of 2022–23 school year, there are 1267 students attending SJPII.
During the 2015 Pan American Games, St. John Paul II received a newly paved track and hosted the roller speed skating competition.
Programs
SJPII, a publicly funded separate high school, provides a religious studies program in each year. The school was accredited by the
Student life
Various councils run the majority of SJPII's inter and extracurricular activities. These councils are the Executive Student Council (ESC), Safe Schools Council (SSC), DECA, Art Committee and the Environmental Council. Following in their lead of student engagement are a multitude of clubs including the Health Action Team who runs the Breakfast Club. There is also a school newspaper by the name of "Off the Wall", that is published four times a year.[11]
Ninety percent of SJPII graduates go on to post-secondary education. About 1 in 20 graduates does so with a scholarship.[12]
Administration
As of 2023[update], the current principal is Scotula Navaratnasingham, who previously was the vice principal of St. Patrick Catholic Secondary School. The former principal of SJPII is Andrea Magee, who was the former principal at Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School for several years.
Notable students
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (March 2021) |
- Stephanie Beard, actress and voice actress
- Kareem Blake, hip-hop artist performing as Choclair
- Jordan Hamilton, Professional soccer player, currently playing for Canadian Premier League team Forge FC[13][14]
- Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, Olympic medalist
- Hazel Mae Cagulada, Sportsnet personality
- Andrew Ornoch, former professional soccer player
- Adrian Serioux, former professional soccer player
- Cam Woods, professional lacrosse player
See also
- List of high schools in Ontario
References
- ^ Lenczowski,John. "Public Diplomacy and the Lessons of the Soviet Collapse", 2002
- ^ "Pope John Paul II". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
- ^ Odone, Cristina – Catholic Herald, 1991
- ^ Geller, Uri – The Jewish Telegraph, 7 July 2000
- ^ a b "Report: Pope Francis Says John Paul II to Be Canonized April 27". National Catholic Register. September 3, 2013. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ^ "Popes John Paul II, John XXIII to be made saints: Vatican". Reuters. Archived from the original on July 8, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- ^ Povoledo, Elizabetta; Alan Cowell (September 30, 2013). "Francis to Canonise John XXIII and John Paul II on Same Day". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
- ^ "Board meetig agenda" (PDF). www.tcdsb.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ "S07 | Toronto Catholic District School Board". www.tcdsb.org. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ "School name change" (PDF). www.tcdsb.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ "Pope John Paul II Catholic Secondary School". Toronto Catholic District School Board. Archived from the original on November 2, 2005.
- ^ "Official website". Archived from the original on November 2, 2005.
- ^ "Jordan Hamilton Joins First Team". Toronto Catholic District School Board. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014.
- ^ "Jordan Hamilton | Toronto FC". Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.