St. Mary Catholic Academy (Toronto) Explained

St. Mary Catholic Academy
Address:66 Dufferin Park Avenue
Country:Canada
Coordinates:43.6576°N -79.4321°W
Motto:That they may have life
Religious Affiliation:Roman Catholic
Founded:1982
Schoolboard:Toronto Catholic District School Board
Superintendent:Robert D'Addario
Trustee:Frank D'Amico
Number:528 / 689381
Principal:Lisa Gomes
Principal Label1:Vice Principal
Principal1:Margarida Duarte
Principal Label2:CSPC Chairs (2022-2023)
Principal2:Rosabelle Cruz
Anna Di Paola
Grades:9-12
Enrolment:713
Enrolment As Of:2021-22
Colours:Maroon and Navy Blue
Team Name:St. Mary's Huskies
Free Label2:Parish
Free Text2:St. Anthony
Free Label3:Specialist High Skills Major
Free 4:International Baccalaureate
Broad-based Technology
Free Label4:Program Focus
Free Text3:Transportation
Area:Dufferin Grove

St. Mary Catholic Academy (also referred to SMCA, St. Mary CA, or St. Mary), previously known as St. Mary's Catholic Secondary School until Oct 2016 and Brother Edmund Rice Annex until 1984 is a Catholic secondary school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada founded by Faithful Companions of Jesus in 1982.[1]

History

Following overcapacity issues at Brother Edmund Rice Catholic Secondary School,[2] Brother Edmund Rice Annex was established within the building of J.J. McGrand Catholic Elementary School in 1982, positioning itself in the quiet neighbourhood of Dufferin Grove. In its initial year, one hundred and fifty ninth graders occupied one floor of the latter's building.

In 1984, following the closing of J.J. McGrand and the dispersion of its staff and students to neighbouring separate elementary schools, the Faithful Companions of Jesus formally established St. Mary's Catholic Secondary School, achieving an initial enrolment of four hundred and fifty students.

Following a period of reorganization of the Metropolitan Separate School Board between 1998 and 1999, St. Mary's became part of the renamed Toronto Catholic District School Board.

In June 2001, Brother Edmund Rice closed, resulting in St. Mary's accepting and integrating fifty students from its original founding school within its student body.

In 2014, St. Mary's began to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, serving as the TCDSB's central International Baccalaureate World School. Two years later, in 2016, the school was renamed by the TCDSB to St. Mary Catholic Academy, reflecting its new heightened pursuit of academia.[3]

As of 2023, St. Mary Catholic Academy is the only anglophone high school remaining in the Dufferin Grove neighbourhood following the closure of Brocktown High School in 1995 and Bloor Collegiate Institute in 2021.

Fraser Institute ranking

The Fraser Institute's 2019 report on St. Mary Catholic Academy gave it an overall grade of 6.4, ranking it at 352 of 739 secondary schools in Ontario. St. Mary's rating for the five most recent years is as follows: 6.2 in 2015, 5.1 in 2016, 6.2 in 2017, 5.2 in 2018, and 6.4 in 2019.[4]

Notable alumni

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The history of St. Mary's C.S.S. celebrating 20 years . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20040821122934/http://www.tcdsb.org/stmaryss/history.html . 2004-08-21 . 2023-04-23 . tcdsb.org.
  2. Web site: 1979-06-05 . Hansard Transcripts 1979-Jun-05 Legislative Assembly of Ontario . 2023-04-28 . www.ola.org . en.
  3. Web site: 2016-10-20 . St. Mary's Catholic Secondary School Name Change . 2023-04-27 . TCDSB Publishing.
  4. Web site: Fraser Institute - School Ranking . 2023-04-28 . www.compareschoolrankings.org.
  5. Web site: Frank Jonke - Men's Soccer . 2023-04-23 . University of Louisville Athletics.
  6. Web site: Player Bio: John Jonke . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111006180116/http://www.uoflsports.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/jonke_john00.html . 2011-10-06 . 2023-04-23 . University of Louisville Athletics.
  7. Web site: The 6th Letter Interview (Royalty Radio 1) . 2023-04-23 . Royalty Radio.