| St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary | |
| Address: | 541 West Keith Rd. |
| City: | North Vancouver |
| Province: | British Columbia |
| Postcode: | V7M 1M5 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Coordinates: | 49.3196°N -123.0875°W |
| Schooltype: | Independent |
| Motto: | Dirige Me in Veritate Tua |
| Motto Translation: | "Direct me in your Truth" |
| Religious Affiliation: | Roman Catholic |
| Founded: | 1959 |
| Schoolboard: | CISVA (Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese)[1] |
| Superintendent: | Mr. Marck Hudon |
| Trustee: | Mr. Michael Coyne |
| Administrator: | Mrs. Linda Sibau |
| Principal: | Mieszko Krol |
| Grades Label: | Grades |
| Grades: | 8-12 |
| Enrollment: | 650+ |
| Language: | English |
| Area: | North Vancouver |
| Colours: | Red, White, and Black |
| Team Name: | Fighting Saints |
St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary is a Catholic school, under the administration of CISVA (Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese) school board.
The school is co-educational, offering academic, fine arts, and business programs, as well as athletic, performing arts, and other extracurricular programs, for students from grades 8 to 12.
The school participates in sporting events under the name of the "Fighting Saints".
The Sisters of the Child Jesus arrived in British Columbia in 1898 to do missionary work with the First Nations people of the North Shore and built St. Paul’s Indian Residential School. A variety of issues were reported over the years, including reports that the building was a "death-trap" and a "fire trap".[2] The Truth And Reconciliation Commission spoke of rampant sexual, physical and emotional abuse towards the students.[3]
Today there is a memorial statue for all of the students that attended St. Paul's Indian Residential School.[4] [5] In 1957, Archbishop William Mark Duke (also known as Iron Duke) approached the sisters to establish a high school on the North Shore. By 1959 the first students walked through the doors of St. Thomas Aquinas.
St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary is classified as a Group 1 school under British Columbia's Independent School Act. It receives 50% funding from the Ministry of Education. The school receives no funding for capital costs.[6] It is under charge of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver.
| Feeder Parishes |
|---|
| Christ the Redeemer (W. Vancouver) |
| St. Anthony's (W. Vancouver) |
| St. Edmund's (N. Vancouver) |
| Holy Trinity (N. Vancouver) |
| St. Pius X (N. Vancouver) |
St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary is ranked by the Fraser Institute. In 2007, it was ranked 16th out of 298 Vancouver, lower mainland schools.[7]
99% of the students graduate[7] and 75% of graduates enroll at post-secondary institutions immediately after graduation.
Provincial exam averages exceeds provincial norms and are higher than CISVA & Independent school averages.
Both the varsity boys' and girls' basketball teams participate in the BC Catholic Basketball Championship, one of the largest tournaments in British Columbia.
| School teams | |
|---|---|
| Soccer | |
| Volleyball | |
| Track and field | |
| Basketball | |
| Cross country | |
| Wrestling | |
| Golf | |
| Field hockey | |
| Gymnastics | |
| Swimming | |
| Rowing |
Girls volleyball
Boys soccer
Wrestling
Boys basketball
Girls basketball
Track and field
Golf
St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary provides students with a variety of performing and non-performing arts.
| Performing arts | Visual arts |
|---|---|
| Drama | Art |
| Band | Photography |
| Choir | |
| Music | Yearbook |