Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School
Encyclopedia
- For schools of a similar name, see Loreto CollegeLoreto CollegeLoreto College or Loreto School is the name of several Roman Catholic schools throughout the world associated with the Sisters of Loreto.-Australia:*Loreto College Coorparoo, Queensland*Loreto College Ballarat, Victoria...
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Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School is an all-girls Catholic high school in Hogg's Hollow neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. It was established by the Loretto Sisters in 1847 and is part of the Toronto Catholic District School Board
Toronto Catholic District School Board
The Toronto Catholic District School Board is the publicly-funded Catholic school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada, headquartered in North York. It is one of the two English boards of education in the City of Toronto, serving the former municipalities of Scarborough, North York, York, East York,...
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Loretto Abbey operates on the non-semestered system and while the school offers Academic and Applied courses, approximately 85% of the school's courses are offered at the Academic level and educate girls to university-entrance standards.
The school offers Co-operative Education, Extended French, Advanced Placement Programmes and Special Education (Resource and Gifted)
History
The school was originally established as a private school in 1847 by the Loretto SistersNun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(from the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, founded by Mary Ward
Mary Ward
Mary Ward may refer to:* Mary Ward , 1585 - 1645, foundress of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an order of Roman Catholic nuns...
in 1609), and supported by Bishop Michael Power. Mary Ward advocated excellent education for young women so that they might “do great things” and this has always formed part of the ethos of Loretto schools.
The Loretto Sisters arrived in Toronto from Ireland in 1847 at the request of Bishop Michael Power
Michael Power
Michael Power may refer to:*Michael Power/St. Joseph High School*Michael Power , Canadian bishop*Michael Power *Michael Power *Michael Power , Australian politician...
. The school was named after Loretto Abbey in Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland, where the sisters were headquartered. The first superior of the Toronto community and principal of the school was Mother Teresa Ellen Dease
Teresa Ellen Dease
Teresa Ellen Dease was a Roman Catholic nun and the foundress of the Loreto Sisters Teresa Ellen Dease (b. 4 May 1820 in Naas, Ireland; d. 1 July 1889 in Toronto, Canada) was a Roman Catholic nun and the foundress of the Loreto Sisters Teresa Ellen Dease (b. 4 May 1820 in Naas, Ireland; d. 1 July...
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Originally located on Duke Street, Loretto Abbey moved to a Bathurst Street site and then to Bond Street in 1860. In 1867 the school relocated to the former mansion of Attorney General Robert James on Wellington Street. In 1927, the school moved to the current home in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, a Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Tudor
Tudorbethan architecture
The Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century , first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies...
style building on Mason Boulevard. The school is attached to Loretto Abbey, the motherhouse of the Loretto Sisters in Canada.
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
, closed in 1985.
2009-2010 EQAO Results
85% of Grade 9 Academic math students were at Level 3 or 4. There were 193 students in the Grade 9 Academic classes during this time frame, 2% of whom were students with Special Education Needs (excluding gifted).22% of Grade 9 Applied math students were at Level 3 or 4. There were 36 students in the Grade 9 Applied classes during this time frame, 22% of whom were students with Special Education needs (excluding gifted).
95% of students were successful in the Grade 10 literacy test, an increase of 1% from the previous year
Fraser Institute Ranking
Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School has a ranking of 105 out of 693 in the most recent five years as follows: 8.2 in 2006; 7.8 in 2007; 6.9 in 2008; 7.8 in 2009; and 7.5 in 2010.The Fraser Institute's 2009/2010 report on Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School gave it an overall grade of 7.5/10, ranking it at 126 of 727 secondary schools in Ontario.
Campus & Facilities
The historic Tudor-gothic school building is located in a green neighborhood adjacent to the Don Valley. The school has access to the Chapel in the Abbey, a pool, a gymnasium, computer facilities, a library, a 300-seat auditorium, a court yard, a prayer garden and grotto, and a playing field.In 2011, the Loretto Sisters agreed to a sale of the entire Abbey to the Toronto Catholic District School Board, with the exception of the infirmary, and this will greatly increase the space available for classrooms. The sale to the school board preserves one of the oldest Catholic schools in Canada. Sr. Evanne Hunter, the Loretto Sisters' provincial leader, said, "With about 1,000 students in one wing of the Abbey property... the school is in great need of space...Our members made many sacrifices to ensure that Catholic families
could avail themselves of a Catholic education for their children, and we are pleased that
this beautiful building, so rich with history and tradition, will continue to operate as a
Catholic school for young women."
Toronto City Council intends to designate the lands and buildings known municipally as 101 Mason Boulevard (Loretto Abbey), under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. "
Co-curricular Programme & Traditions
Loretto Abbey offers a full range of service, social, and athletic activities to develop students to their full potential.Clubs and Teams: Abbey Singers, Abbey Times, Amnesty International, Anime Club, South Asian Association, Build to Learn Club - B2L, Current Issues, Debate Team, Economics Club, ESP (Empowered Student Partnership), Environmental Club, Filipino Club, Image Arts Club, Improv Team, In the Driver’s Seat, Irish Club, Italian Club, Knitting Club, LAT Concert Choir, LAT Voice, Loretto Leaders, Mock Trial, Peer Tutors, Portuguese Club, Reach For the Top, Sailing Club, Science Club, Skills Canada Team, Spanish Club, Urban Nations, Women Against Violence, Yearbook Club, Band Council, Concert Bands, Jazz Ensemble, Loretto Abbey Peace and Development .
Sports: Badminton, Basketball, Cross Country, Curling, Field Hockey, Golf, Hockey, Ski Team, Soccer, Soft Ball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Track and Field, Volley Ball.
Some annual traditions at Loretto include: Mother & Daughter Tea, Father and Daughter Barbecue, Academic Awards Night, March Break Trips, Musical Performance at the Cardinal's Dinner, Semi-Formal, Multicultural Night, Spring Concert, Annual Drama Production, Fashion Show and many more.
Loretto Overseas Programmes
Loretto Abbey students participated in the 2009 India Study and Leadership Programme. The students participated in service learning and volunteered at Loretto schools in Calcutta, Darjeeling, and New Delhi. This excursion was in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Loretto Sisters and marked an ongoing involvement of the Sisters in maintaining the Mary Ward ethos at the school. In March, 2011, the second of these trips will take place.The Abbey also fundraises every year for Loretto schools overseas and for charities in need. In 2007, for instance, $25,000 was raised for Loreto St. Vincent's Primary School in Darjeeling. Proceeds from events like dances and civies day go towards the annual charity.
Notable Alumnae
- Carly FoulkesCarly FoulkesCarly Foulkes , also known colloquially as The T-Mobile Girl, The T-Mobile 4G Girl, or The T-Mobile myTouch Girl, is a Canadian-born model and actress best known for appearing in a series of 2010 and 2011 T-Mobile myTouch 4G television commercials, in which she often wears pink/magenta and white...
- Canadian model and actress - Germaine GuevremontGermaine GuèvremontGermaine Guèvremont, born Grignon was a Canadian writer, who was a prominent figure in Quebec literature....
- Canadian writer and winner of the 1950 Governor-General's Award - Ida HawleyIda HawleyIda Hawley was a Canadian musical comedy actress and soprano singer.-Early life:Ida Hawley was born on 26 April 1876 at Belleville, Ontario and later raised in Toronto, where she received her higher education at the Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School Little is known about Ida Hawley’s life,...
- Musical comedy actress - Sister Margaret O'Neill (Mother Agatha) - founder of Loretto College at University of Toronto
- Ivana SantilliIvana SantilliIvana Santilli is a Canadian R&B singer and multi-instrumentalist, who has recorded both as a solo artist and as a member of the 1990s R&B/pop combo Bass is Base. Santili is presently signed to CP Records.-Early life and career:...
- musician, solo and with Bass is BaseBass is BaseBass is Base was a Canadian R&B group from Toronto, Ontario, active during the 1990s.The band consisted of Chin Injeti on bass, Ivana Santilli on keyboards, and MC Mystic on percussion... - Jess WaltonJess WaltonJess Walton is an American actress, best known for her role as Jill Foster Abbott on the American soap opera, The Young and the Restless.-Early life:...
- "Jill Foster AbbottJill Foster AbbottJill Abbott Fenmore is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. She is one of the series' original characters, and the only one remaining from its debut in March 1973...
" on "The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
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