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Resurrection Catholic Secondary School
Hello, and welcome to the first article of a new WRX Property Group series that will be running for the rest of this week. We’ll be outlining and discussing Catholic secondary schools in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Today’s subject is Resurrection Catholic Secondary School, tomorrow we’ll be discussing St. Mary’s High School, and there will be more to come afterwards.
Resurrection Catholic Secondary School is located in western Kitchener, near the corner of University Avenue and Fischer-Hallman Road.
It’s part of the Boardwalk Neighbourhood of Kitchener, and it’s about as close to the border with Waterloo as you can get – simply walking across University Ave puts you from Kitchener into the Westvale neighbourhood of Waterloo.
As such, Resurrection Catholic Secondary School’s student body is made up of a diverse mix of Kitchener and Waterloo residents. The school includes 24 acres of property, with excellent, modern facilities including science & tech labs,tennis courts, a green house, and a chapel. Approximately 1350 students attend Resurrection.
Elementary schools zoned for Resurrection are Holy Family, Holy Rosary, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Dominic, St. John, St. Mark, St. Nicholas, and St. Paul.
View Homes for Sale Near Resurrection Catholic Secondary School
History
Most often, Resurrection Catholic Secondary School is simply referred to as Resurrection, though sometimes you’ll see it written as Resurrection CSS.
Resurrection’s history stretches back to 1865, when the Congregation of the Resurrection, led by Reverend Dr. Louis Funcken, founded St. Jerome’s College to serve the large German, Roman Catholic population in what was then called Berlin.
By 1960, it was called St. Jerome’s High School, and until it closed in 1990, it had a reputation as an excellent Catholic school for young men from Kitchener-Waterloo.
The same year St. Jerome’s closed its doors, Resurrection opened its. And for the past 27 years, Resurrection has strived to carry on St. Jerome’s legacy of excellent education, commitment to the Catholic faith, and community involvement (though Resurrection has 100% more female students than St. Jerome’s did.)
School Spirit
Resurrection’s school colours are red and yellow; its team name is the Resurrection Phoenix; and their mascots are (rather adorably) Peep and Peepette, a pair of red, yellow, and orange Phoenixes who really know how to burn up the dance floor.
If you’d like to know more about Peep and/or Peepette (it’s hard for me to tell them apart), check out this video made by Resurrection CSS entitled ‘A Day in the Life of a Phoenix’ here.
In all seriousness, though, this is a well-made video that gives a good idea of what school life is like at Resurrection, and some of the programs and facilities they provide there. Speaking of which…
Academics
One of the top things parents/guardians and prospective students need to know is: what academic reputation does my future school have? Resurrection’s academic reputation is, in a word, excellent.
For the past five years, Resurrection has been the top-ranked Catholic secondary school in Kitchener-Waterloo by the Fraser Institute. The Fraser Institute’s ranking methodology involves scores in literacy (OSSLT) and numeracy (EQAO), and takes into account gender gap and tests not written.
Academics are important at Resurrection, and they have the scores to prove it. But that’s just part of what makes Resurrection a great place to receive an education.
Resurrection has high standards, and a variety of course offerings, in numerous Academic Program Areas. They also offer several experiential programs for students looking to work ahead on their life post-high school graduation.
Students who have achieved high academic success can participate in the University Cooperative Education Program, which prepares them for post-secondary education, and in which they can earn a university credit.
The University Dual Credit program allows students in the Earth and Space Science, and Analyzing Current Economic Issues courses to earn half-credits at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, respectively.
The College Cooperative Education Program, for year 4 or 5 students, is in partnership with the Conestoga College Doon Campus, and allows students to earn three secondary school credits, and one tuition-free college credit.
The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) enables students looking to learn a skilled trade, in partnership with their co-op teacher and a local employer.
Specialist High Skills Major
The Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) is a new initiative put forward by the Ontario Ministry of Education that allows students to focus on a specific career path.
By completing the various components of the SHSM diploma-path (including relevant courses, co-op opportunities, and industry certifications), students can earn an SHSM seal on their OSSD (Ontario Secondary School Diploma).
Resurrection offers ten SHSM programs: Arts & Culture; Business; Energy; Health &; Wellness; Horticulture &; Landscaping; Hospitality & Tourism; Information & Communications; Justice, Community Safety; Sports; and Transportation.
It is the only Catholic secondary school in Kitchener-Waterloo to offer the Horticulture & Landscaping SHSM. I cannot stress enough – students interested in any of these sectors for future employment can truly benefit from taking part in the SHSM program, and Resurrection has plenty of options (which is great).
Athletics
Resurrection has a truly excellent reputation for its athletics programs. Not only do they offer a variety of sports (both team and individual), but they are also consistently one of the top high schools in the province in terms of performance and success.
The Resurrection Phoenix are truly a wonder to behold, and their girls field hockey team has won numerous provincial titles over the past few years (in both CWOSSA and OFSAA).
The Phoenix girls’ rugby team has won the District 8 title, the boys football and basketball teams have earned multiple championship titles, and they are the reigning OFSAA champs in Track and Field, Field Hockey, and Football.
Resurrection offers a new program for self-motivated students who have demonstrated great potential in a certain sport. The Phoenix Exceptional Athlete Training program (or PEAT, for short) is open for all Resurrection students to apply.
The ideal PEAT applicants are dedicated to their academics, positive members of the community, and driven to improve themselves as athletes.
The program aims to motivate and enable these students, through guidance and skill-development, to achieve athletic success on a local, provincial, national, and international level.
A huge part of what makes a school great is the quality of its educators and staff, and Resurrection has many exemplary staff members. One notable member of its staff is Principal Chris Woodcroft, who is truly an athlete and an educator.
A retired wrestler, Woodcroft represented Canada in two Olympic games, and won medals (gold, silver, and bronze) in the Commonwealth and Pan American games.
More recently – and most importantly to this school – Woodcroft also received the Outstanding Principal award. Congratulations, Principal Woodcroft!
Arts, Activities, and Community Support
Again, Resurrection truly shines in its extracurricular offerings. They produce major musical and theatrical productions every year, including both Alice in Wonderland and Hamlet.
The entire school participates in the Terry Fox Run/Walk, and have raised thousands of dollars for cancer research -over the years.
Resurrection endeavours to live up to the values taught in the gospels, and charity and community involvement are major parts of the school’s identity. Resurrection is involved in a wide variety of initiatives, including a Thanksgiving Food Drive and the Lenten Campaign for Haiti.
There are numerous opportunities for students interested in Visual Arts, music, and drama, as well as clubs and activities ranging from business simulations to robotics.
In Conclusion
Resurrection is a fantastic school. It has excellent academics, athletics, and arts programs, and much, much more. Students interested in any (or each) of these would surely make great Resurrection Phoenixes.
And parents/guardians desirous of a top-quality education infused with faith-based learning and strong ties to the Catholic Church, need look no further than Resurrection Catholic Secondary School.
Written by Will Kummer