St. Paul High School (Ottawa)
Encyclopedia
St. Paul High School is a Catholic
high school
in Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
. The 2007-2008 school census indicated that about 1,300 students were enrolled, but the estimate for the 2008-2009 year is about 1,450.
neighbourhood in the city of Nepean, Ontario
. Delays in construction meant that the school was late in opening, students were not able to move in until October. Students spent the first month attending classes at their old schools. The school community asked that the school be renamed after Saint Paul, and the name was changed within the first year.
At first, it was a junior high school only, but after several years of renovations and adding more grades one by one each year, it finally opened as a full high school serving grades 7 through OAC
in September 1987. It also adopted the new motto of "Fill Your Minds With All That Is True" at the same time. The school colours of brown and gold had to be replaced because they were the same as those of nearby Bell High School
at the other end of Bells Corners. The colours of gold, blue and white took their place.
The following school year, 1988–1989, the school underwent another construction project. The portables were moved into the parking lot, leaving an empty space closer to the building. During the course of the year, a new ten classroom building was constructed, called the portapak. Construction finished around May 1989 and some classes were moved in from the portables.
At the beginning of the 1989-1990 school year, four more portables arrived, bringing the total (including the ten rooms in the portapak) to almost thirty. During this year, construction took place on Holy Trinity High School
in the nearby city of Kanata
. Holy Trinity was being built with the intention of reducing the level of overcrowding at St. Paul's.
Although Holy Trinity was supposed to open in time for the 1990 school year, a strike of the construction workers put the school behind schedule, and it wasn't ready when school began.
The solution that was employed was to have the building on Seyton Drive serve as both schools temporarily. Students attending St. Paul's went in the morning, starting classes an hour earlier than usual, and finished at noon. Students attending Holy Trinity attended during the afternoon. This continued for two months, until Holy Trinity was finally ready to open at the beginning of November.
At some point in the early 1990s, the name of the school was changed from the possessive St Paul's to simply St. Paul. Items around the school, including the sign over the main entrance, were altered to reflect this change.
In 1999, the school board made a surprise move by selling the building on Seyton Drive while purchasing the former John A. Macdonald
school, which was being used by Champlain Elementary School and Collège catholique Franco-Ouest, of the French Catholic School Board. The new location would be located on Draper Avenue in the neighbourhood of Pinecrest, a few kilometers to the east. This was done without consulting or notifying the students of St Paul or their parents, and caused a great deal of concern and even anger because it meant students would be travelling longer distances to get to school, and also because the building was in need of many renovations. The school has since undergone many extensive renovations with the Ottawa-
Carleton Catholic School Board investing five million dollars to refurbish the facility and to bring it up to current standards. It has two gymnasia with hardwood floors, a university-style lecture hall, a cafeteria, new science and tech labs and an auditorium that can hold 750 spectators, ideal for both school and Board-wide performing arts initiatives.
The old building on Seyton Drive became Franco-Ouest, and has since undergone further expansion, with a new wing filling the courtyard that used to lie between the cafeteria and the industrial arts workshops.
St. Paul High School celebrated its 25th anniversary in May 2004, with many former students returning to commemorate their time at the school.
The school logo is in the shape of a pentagon, with the two angled sides converging at the bottom. It has a blue border on a white background. In the centre, there is a blue cross with the school name “St. Paul” printed vertically on the cross in white letters. A gold maple leaf in the background silhouettes the cross. The crest is draped with a gold banner having a blue border. Written on the banner are the words of the school's motto: “Fill Your Minds With All That Is True.”http://www.occdsb.on.ca/media.php?mid=14632
is a bear. Sports teams at St. Paul were originally known as the St Paul Bears, but in the early 1990s that name gradually transitioned into the Golden Bears, a name which continues to exist today.
St. Paul has become well known for its arts productions, most notable of which is the major dramatic performance which takes place towards the end of each year, and usually requires the majority of the school year before that to prepare. Performances over the years have included You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
, 1873: The Farmer's Revolt, Beaver Tales, Anne of Green Gables
, Jitters, Dracula: The Musical?!, But Why Bump Off Barnaby, Little Shop Of Horrors
, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
and many more. Recently, the school performed a Canadian play, "Unity 1918", capturing the post-war Spanish Flu epidemic in Western Canada. The production won awards for Comic Actress in a Play (Stephanie Fields) and Ensemble in a Play (Caleigh McEachern and Anne Charbonneau) at the 2005-2006 Cappies Awards
. During the 2007-2008 year, the school put on a production of Annie Weisman's "Be Aggressive." The school's performance of Unity 1918, capturing the post-war Spanish Flu epidemic in Western Canada won awards for Comic Actress in a Play (Stephanie Fields) and Ensemble in a Play (Caleigh McEachern and Anne Charbonneau) at the 2005-2006 Cappies Awards
. The school also received a cappies award in 2008-2009. For best ensemble (Hilary Smith, and Clancy Adami) the play they performed was Arsenic and Old Lace. Other credits include: Jeremy Sanders as Reverend Harper, Natalia Chiarlelli as Off. Klein and Skylor Cloutier as Mr. Witherspoon.
Starting in the early nineties, students at St. Paul started making trips to the Dominican Republic
to provide help to people in need there. Starting in the 1994-1995 school year, it began as a yearly event. Approximately 10 students and 2 teachers spent months prior to the March departure learning Spanish, fund raising and getting prepared for the experience. In 1995, students started Casa Cafe, which was a fundraiser organized and operated by the students.
The group would travel for two weeks, landing in Santo Domingo
- the capital of the Dominican Republic, and then traveling to San Jose de Ocoa
to work in the rural farmland. Some of the jobs worked on by students includes: building a school, building and painting homes, and working on an irrigation/water system. Students initially lived with families (prior to 1995), but it was considered safer for students and teachers to live as a group. Often the students and teachers would stay in a school or church.
Following a week in the mountainous region of the Dominican Republic, the group would travel to Quisqueya
where they spent time interacting with the church community and visited the bateyes (villages where the Haiti
an sugar cane workers live). The students also picked sugar cane and helped load it onto trucks.
Over the years students have raised tens of thousands of dollars and have brought down medical and school supplies. Each year, upon their return, students would put on a multi-media presentation to show the St Paul community the work that they have done.
In recent news, St. Pauls has applied to be an Arts Major High school which would commence next year. The specialties would include intense study on dramatic arts, theatre tech, computer design and music. For the first time this year, the grade 7&8s participated in a production of "High School Musical".
The catholic school board also recently finished their production of "Once Upon a Mattress". The production is cast with all the students in the catholic school bored and also introduces the talent of the elementary school choirs. The show received positive reviews for its sound, lighting, sets and costumes.
In December 2007, it was announced that a celebration of the school's thirtieth anniversary was to be held on April 3, 2008. The event took place at a location away from the school, with a pub on Merivale Road playing host. Many current and former students and faculty were in attendance.
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The 2007-2008 school census indicated that about 1,300 students were enrolled, but the estimate for the 2008-2009 year is about 1,450.
History
The school originally opened in 1978 under the name Bells Corners Senior Elementary School. It was located at 411 Seyton Drive in the Bells CornersBells Corners, Ontario
Bells Corners is a suburban community in the city of Ottawa, Canada. As of the Canada 2006 Census, it had a population of 9,799.-History:...
neighbourhood in the city of Nepean, Ontario
Nepean, Ontario
- Recent quantity of snow :- History :Nepean Township, originally known as Township D, was established in 1792 and originally included what is now the central area of Ottawa west of the Rideau River. Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean...
. Delays in construction meant that the school was late in opening, students were not able to move in until October. Students spent the first month attending classes at their old schools. The school community asked that the school be renamed after Saint Paul, and the name was changed within the first year.
At first, it was a junior high school only, but after several years of renovations and adding more grades one by one each year, it finally opened as a full high school serving grades 7 through OAC
Ontario Academic Credit
The Ontario Academic Credit or OAC was part of the curriculum codified by the Ontario Ministry of Education in Ontario Schools: Intermediate and Senior and its revisions. In common parlance, the term is used to describe the fifth high school year that used to exist in the province of...
in September 1987. It also adopted the new motto of "Fill Your Minds With All That Is True" at the same time. The school colours of brown and gold had to be replaced because they were the same as those of nearby Bell High School
Bell High School (Ottawa)
Bell High School is a high school located in Bells Corners of Ottawa, Canada. Established in 1962 by the Carleton Board of Education as a public high school, it currently serves as one of the only two facilities with the prestigious OCDSB Gifted Program...
at the other end of Bells Corners. The colours of gold, blue and white took their place.
The following school year, 1988–1989, the school underwent another construction project. The portables were moved into the parking lot, leaving an empty space closer to the building. During the course of the year, a new ten classroom building was constructed, called the portapak. Construction finished around May 1989 and some classes were moved in from the portables.
At the beginning of the 1989-1990 school year, four more portables arrived, bringing the total (including the ten rooms in the portapak) to almost thirty. During this year, construction took place on Holy Trinity High School
Holy Trinity Catholic High School (Kanata)
Holy Trinity Catholic High School is a secondary school located in Kanata, Ontario. It serves students from grades 7 through 12. It is the first of its architectural design in Ottawa, opened in 1990. It was followed by 5 identical schools in the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board.-History:The...
in the nearby city of Kanata
Kanata
Kanata is an aboriginal word meaning "village" or "settlement."- Name of Canada :Until the mid-20th century, the Mohawk word "kanata" was thought to have been the origin of Canada's name...
. Holy Trinity was being built with the intention of reducing the level of overcrowding at St. Paul's.
Although Holy Trinity was supposed to open in time for the 1990 school year, a strike of the construction workers put the school behind schedule, and it wasn't ready when school began.
The solution that was employed was to have the building on Seyton Drive serve as both schools temporarily. Students attending St. Paul's went in the morning, starting classes an hour earlier than usual, and finished at noon. Students attending Holy Trinity attended during the afternoon. This continued for two months, until Holy Trinity was finally ready to open at the beginning of November.
At some point in the early 1990s, the name of the school was changed from the possessive St Paul's to simply St. Paul. Items around the school, including the sign over the main entrance, were altered to reflect this change.
In 1999, the school board made a surprise move by selling the building on Seyton Drive while purchasing the former John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
school, which was being used by Champlain Elementary School and Collège catholique Franco-Ouest, of the French Catholic School Board. The new location would be located on Draper Avenue in the neighbourhood of Pinecrest, a few kilometers to the east. This was done without consulting or notifying the students of St Paul or their parents, and caused a great deal of concern and even anger because it meant students would be travelling longer distances to get to school, and also because the building was in need of many renovations. The school has since undergone many extensive renovations with the Ottawa-
Carleton Catholic School Board investing five million dollars to refurbish the facility and to bring it up to current standards. It has two gymnasia with hardwood floors, a university-style lecture hall, a cafeteria, new science and tech labs and an auditorium that can hold 750 spectators, ideal for both school and Board-wide performing arts initiatives.
The old building on Seyton Drive became Franco-Ouest, and has since undergone further expansion, with a new wing filling the courtyard that used to lie between the cafeteria and the industrial arts workshops.
St. Paul High School celebrated its 25th anniversary in May 2004, with many former students returning to commemorate their time at the school.
The school logo is in the shape of a pentagon, with the two angled sides converging at the bottom. It has a blue border on a white background. In the centre, there is a blue cross with the school name “St. Paul” printed vertically on the cross in white letters. A gold maple leaf in the background silhouettes the cross. The crest is draped with a gold banner having a blue border. Written on the banner are the words of the school's motto: “Fill Your Minds With All That Is True.”http://www.occdsb.on.ca/media.php?mid=14632
School life
The school mascotMascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
is a bear. Sports teams at St. Paul were originally known as the St Paul Bears, but in the early 1990s that name gradually transitioned into the Golden Bears, a name which continues to exist today.
St. Paul has become well known for its arts productions, most notable of which is the major dramatic performance which takes place towards the end of each year, and usually requires the majority of the school year before that to prepare. Performances over the years have included You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts...
, 1873: The Farmer's Revolt, Beaver Tales, Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Set in 1878, it was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book...
, Jitters, Dracula: The Musical?!, But Why Bump Off Barnaby, Little Shop Of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors (musical)
Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., written while he was living in Birmingham, England, and first published in 1820...
and many more. Recently, the school performed a Canadian play, "Unity 1918", capturing the post-war Spanish Flu epidemic in Western Canada. The production won awards for Comic Actress in a Play (Stephanie Fields) and Ensemble in a Play (Caleigh McEachern and Anne Charbonneau) at the 2005-2006 Cappies Awards
Critics and Awards Program for High School Students
The Cappies ' is an international program for recognizing, celebrating, and providing learning experiences for high school theater and journalism students and teenage playwrights....
. During the 2007-2008 year, the school put on a production of Annie Weisman's "Be Aggressive." The school's performance of Unity 1918, capturing the post-war Spanish Flu epidemic in Western Canada won awards for Comic Actress in a Play (Stephanie Fields) and Ensemble in a Play (Caleigh McEachern and Anne Charbonneau) at the 2005-2006 Cappies Awards
Critics and Awards Program for High School Students
The Cappies ' is an international program for recognizing, celebrating, and providing learning experiences for high school theater and journalism students and teenage playwrights....
. The school also received a cappies award in 2008-2009. For best ensemble (Hilary Smith, and Clancy Adami) the play they performed was Arsenic and Old Lace. Other credits include: Jeremy Sanders as Reverend Harper, Natalia Chiarlelli as Off. Klein and Skylor Cloutier as Mr. Witherspoon.
Starting in the early nineties, students at St. Paul started making trips to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
to provide help to people in need there. Starting in the 1994-1995 school year, it began as a yearly event. Approximately 10 students and 2 teachers spent months prior to the March departure learning Spanish, fund raising and getting prepared for the experience. In 1995, students started Casa Cafe, which was a fundraiser organized and operated by the students.
The group would travel for two weeks, landing in Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
- the capital of the Dominican Republic, and then traveling to San Jose de Ocoa
San José de Ocoa
San José de Ocoa is a province of the Dominican Republic, and also the name of the province's capital city. It was split from Peravia on January 1, 2000...
to work in the rural farmland. Some of the jobs worked on by students includes: building a school, building and painting homes, and working on an irrigation/water system. Students initially lived with families (prior to 1995), but it was considered safer for students and teachers to live as a group. Often the students and teachers would stay in a school or church.
Following a week in the mountainous region of the Dominican Republic, the group would travel to Quisqueya
Quisqueya
Quisqueya may refer to:*Quisqueya, Dominican Republic, a municipality of the San Pedro de Macorís province*Quisqueya , a genus of Laeliinae*Hispaniola or Quisqueya, a major island in the Caribbean, containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
where they spent time interacting with the church community and visited the bateyes (villages where the Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an sugar cane workers live). The students also picked sugar cane and helped load it onto trucks.
Over the years students have raised tens of thousands of dollars and have brought down medical and school supplies. Each year, upon their return, students would put on a multi-media presentation to show the St Paul community the work that they have done.
In recent news, St. Pauls has applied to be an Arts Major High school which would commence next year. The specialties would include intense study on dramatic arts, theatre tech, computer design and music. For the first time this year, the grade 7&8s participated in a production of "High School Musical".
The catholic school board also recently finished their production of "Once Upon a Mattress". The production is cast with all the students in the catholic school bored and also introduces the talent of the elementary school choirs. The show received positive reviews for its sound, lighting, sets and costumes.
Reunion
In December 2007, it was announced that a celebration of the school's thirtieth anniversary was to be held on April 3, 2008. The event took place at a location away from the school, with a pub on Merivale Road playing host. Many current and former students and faculty were in attendance.
Notable alumni
- Sean O'DonnellSean O'DonnellSean "O.D." O'Donnell is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...
, hockey player, Philadelphia FlyersPhiladelphia FlyersThe Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. - Paul ByronPaul ByronPaul Byron is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He is currently playing with the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League . Byron was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 6th Round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.-Playing career:Byron played junior hockey with Gatineau Olympiques in the...
, hockey player, Buffalo SabresBuffalo SabresThe Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:... - Alison SmythAlison SmythAlison Smyth is a professional actor/singer/dancer from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, who most recently starred in the Toronto production of the Tony Award winning Jersey Boys as "Francine Valli". From 2001 to 2004 she trained in vocal performance at The Glenn Gould School in Toronto...
, actor - Angie Poirier, Reporter on ATV CHRO-TVCHRO-TVCHRO-TV is a television station serving the National Capital and Ottawa Valley regions of Ontario, Canada. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Two television system....
- Tyrell "DJ T-Dot" Henry, DJ for Hot 89.9