Click Here to Read More About St. David Catholic Secondary School
St. David Catholic Secondary School
Hello, everyone, and welcome (or welcome back) to the WRX Property Group Blog. We’ve been looking at the Catholic secondary schools in Kitchener-Waterloo, and today we’ll be taking a look at St. David Catholic Secondary School in Waterloo.
Thus far we’ve also investigated Resurrection Catholic Secondary School and St. Mary’s High School.
St. David Catholic Secondary School stands near the convergence of Weber Street North, King Street north, and Columbia Street West in the heart of Waterloo.
It’s a great location for a school, with the bustling sidewalks of King Street providing restaurants and coffee shops galore (great for hungry/thirsty staff/students), and accessible to residents throughout Waterloo due to its proximity to three major arterial streets.
The McCormick Branch of the Waterloo Public Library is not too far from St. David, and the nearby Sugarbush Park is a nice place for a stroll or a study session. St. David presently has a student population of approximately 1100, served by 120 teachers, administration, and support staff.
Ed MacIntosh serves as St. David’s Secondary School Chaplain, and he both promotes the Catholic faith and virtues within the school, and cultivates relationships with Kitchener-Waterloo parish communities.
Being centrally located within Waterloo, St. David provides an accessible Catholic secondary school for Waterloo students from a variety of neighbourhoods moving on from elementary school.
The feeder schools zoned for St. David are: Sir Edgar Bauer; St. Agnes; St. Boniface; St. Clement; St. Luke; St. Matthew; St. Teresa of Avila (in Elmira); and St. Teresa (in Kitchener).
See Homes for Sale Near St. David Catholic Secondary School
History
St. David Catholic Secondary School was founded in 1965 (though at that time it was St. David Junior High).
The dedicated individuals who established the school reached out to Wrexham in Wales, the home community of Saint David (a sixth-century Welsh bishop), in order to sanction Saint David as the school’s Patron Saint.
An important quote for the school was attributed to Saint David in the year 589: “As for me, I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.”
Like Saint David, the founders of this school wished to carry on the legacy of Catholic education in Kitchener-Waterloo.
By 1992, St. David Junior High’s student body had expanded significantly, and with funding provided by the Ministry of Education, the school received extensive renovations, multiple new facilities, and officially changed its name.
St. David Catholic Secondary School now served high school students from Grade 9 – 12 (and OAC).
Interestingly, though St. Mary’s High School and St. Jerome’s predate St. David by several decades, St. David Catholic Secondary School is currently housed in the Waterloo Catholic School Board’s oldest building, because St. Mary’s moved to a new location in 2002, and St. Jerome’s closed in 1990 to be replaced by Resurrection Catholic Secondary School.
School Spirit
The school colours for St. David are White, Blue, and Green. Their team name is the Celtics, and their mascot is Cedric the Celtic (you’ve got to love the alliteration that always seems to pop up in high school mascot naming conventions).
To celebrate their 50 th anniversary, St. David commissioned artist Timothy Schmalz to create a sculpture for the school’s courtyard.
Entitled ‘When I Was a Stranger,’ this display features a life-sized, bronze sculpture of Jesus seated before eight stools, upon which students might sit to reflect on the Catholic faith, and embrace the sense of community within St. David Catholic Secondary School.
Academics
St. David has a very strong academic reputation. Over the past three years, it has been the second-most highly ranked school in the Waterloo Catholic Secondary School Board (WCDSB), and in each of the past five years, it has been ranked well above the board’s average score.
These ratings come from the Fraser Institute, which compiles schools’ scores in literacy (OSSLT), numeracy (EQAO), gender gap within these scores, and tests not written.
St. David has a well-equipped Special Education department, which provides tailored support systems for students with IEPs (Individual Education Plans), and more. Course offerings range from the Arts to Cooperative education, and from Business to Computers and Technology, with just about everything in between.
There are also numerous Enrichment opportunities at St. David, including Advanced Placement courses in Biology, English, and Mathematics, and programs and activities such as Skills Canada Regional Competitions, FIRST Robotics, and the Inspiring Future Women in Science Conference.
St. David also has many options for Experiential Learning. The University Cooperative Education Program (UCEP), in partnership with St. Jerome’s University, the University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University, allows students to get a head-start on university and develop program-specific skills.
The College Cooperative Education Program (CCEP) is similar, but it’s affiliated with Conestoga College, and a great opportunity for students looking to attend college after graduation – they can even earn a tuition-free college credit in the process.
The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) is a School to Work program designed for Grade 11 or 12 students interested a trade apprenticeship. OYAP supports students in their transition from high school to the work force, enabling them to learn a skilled trade.
Specialist High Skills Major
Ontario’s Ministry of Education has a special, new program called the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM), which students can take advantage of on their path to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
Each high school in the WCDSB offers a variety of SHSM programs, and students interested in a career in one of these fields can benefit by receiving relevant instruction, co-op opportunities, and industry certifications.
St. David offers the following 8 SHSM programs: Arts & Culture; Business; Construction; Health & Wellness; Hospitality & Tourism; Information & Communications; Justice, Community Safety; and Transportation.
Athletics
There are fantastic facilities available for athletes at St. David, including a triple gymnasium; a world-class track & field facility; an artificial turf, lighted sports field; and more.
St. David offers all the normal sports (team and individual), including a few more unique ones (such as powerlifting and handball) as well as opportunities in intramural activities. It’s part of the District 8 Athletic Association, OFSAA, and CWOSSA.
The St. David Celtics have a proud athletic history, including multiple titles won over the years, including senior football championships in 2000 and 2001 (thanks in no small part to St. David alumnus Luca Congi, who currently plays for the Saskatchewan Roughriders).
Overall
St. David Catholic Secondary School is a fine school, with a sterling history of academic integrity and athletic ambition, and firm roots in the Catholic faith tradition of Kitchener-Waterloo.
Written by Will Kummer