Ernestown Secondary School or ESS is a Canadian public, comprehensive school

Comprehensive school

A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...

 located in Odessa, Ontario, Canada. The school services about 650 students from Loyalist Township

Loyalist, Ontario

Loyalist is a township in central eastern Ontario, Canada on Lake Ontario. It is in Lennox and Addington County and consists of two parts: the mainland and Amherst Island. It was named for the United Empire Loyalists, who settled in the area after the American Revolution.-Communities:The primary...

, Napanee and Stone Mills, Ontario

Stone Mills, Ontario

Stone Mills is a township located east of Greater Napanee in Lennox and Addington County, Ontario. According to the 2006 Canadian Census, the township has a population of 7,568.-Communities:...

. The town

Town

A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 is in the eastern Ontario county of Lennox and Addington approximately 24 kilometers west of the city of Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

. The school offers classes for students in grades nine

Ninth grade

Ninth grade is the ninth post-kindergarten year of school education in some school systems. The students are 13 to 15 years of age, depending on when their birthday occurs. Depending on the school district, ninth grade is usually the first year of high school....

 through twelve

Twelfth grade

Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...

 and is a member school of the Limestone District School Board.
The school motto at ESS is Amor Doctrinae Floreat - "Let the Love of Learning Flourish"

History

The Odessa Continuation School that had serviced the community of Odessa for more than 40 years, closed in 1947. Ernestown Township then joined the Napanee and District High School area and with this change, area students were required to bus to the school in Napanee.

In 1958, Reeve Erwell Huff, petitioned to allow Ernestown to withdraw from the school area of Napanee, which town council overwhelmingly endorsed. In September of 1959, the first students were housed temporarily at the Township Hall and in a new cement block building erected in the town of Odessa. The student population was little more than 200 students. Ground breaking at the current site took place in 1959 and in 1960 Ernestown High School opened its doors at the present location. An addition to the school was made in 1965 with subsequent additions in 1969 and 1983.

Sports

The Ernestown Eagles compete in the Kingston Area Secondary Schools Athletics Association (KASSAA) with thirteen other area schools. Team colours are forest green and black. The Eagles compete in Badminton, Basketball, Cross-Country, Football, Ice Hockey, Soccer, Track and Field, Volleyball and Wrestling. Until recently, the school also housed a rowing program that trained on Mud Lake, however the program was discontinued after the rowing coach left the school.

Notable Alumni and Former Students

• Adnan Virk
  Adnan Virk
  Adnan Virk is a sports anchor, currently for ESPN. He was previously an anchor for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment's Raptors NBA TV, Leafs TV and Gol TV. Until June 2009 he hosted several programs on The Score, and was previously an associate producer for Sportscentre at TSN...
  
  , Sports anchor and reporter, currently on The Score. Was formerly the associate producer
  Television producer
  The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
  
   for Sportscentre
  SportsCentre
  SportsCentre is a sports news program airing on the Canadian network TSN. As TSN's flagship program, it airs several times daily, and beginning in the 2008 season it also began to be aired on sister network CTV as its post-game program for early NFL games....
  
  at TSN
  The Sports Network
  The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
  
  . Has called play by play for NBA and NCAA basketball as well as Major League Baseball.

• Aaron Doornekamp
  Aaron Doornekamp
  Aaron Doornekamp is a Canadian professional basketball player from Odessa, Ontario. Currently playing for Italian team Juvecaserta as of August 2009, he was one of the greatest players in the history of the Carleton University Ravens men's basketball team.Doornekamp is also a member of the...
  
  , Canadian Interuniversity Sport
  Canadian Interuniversity Sport
  Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
  
   (CIS) Player of the Year, National team member and CIS first team All-Canadian. Led the Carleton Ravens to four national CIS men's basketball championships.

• Gordon Downie
  Gordon Downie
  Gordon Edgar Downie is a Canadian rock musician, writer and occasional actor. He is the lead singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. He has released three solo albums, Coke Machine Glow in 2001, Battle of the Nudes in 2003; and The Grand Bounce in 2010...
  
  , Rock musician and writer, Downie is the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band, The Tragically Hip. Downie attended ESS from 1978-1980 (grades 9 & 10).