Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School

Secondary school in Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Team nameCrusadersFeeder schoolsJohn XXIII Catholic School
Archbishop O'Sullivan Catholic School
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School
Mother Teresa Catholic SchoolWebsitewww.alcdsb.on.ca/School/hcss/Pages/default.aspx

Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School (sometimes abbreviated to HC, or HCSS) is a Catholic secondary school located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada offering education for about 1,125 students in grades 9-12.

History

The school was established in September 1986. It was fully public funded, along with other Catholic secondary schools who also were public funded from 1986 to 1987. The school occupied shared facilities with KCVI until September 1990 when a new $15 million campus was opened.^[2]

Athletics

Holy Cross has a history of athletic success at the local, provincial and national levels. School alumni include NHL defenceman Jay McKee, olympic wrestler Paul Ragusa, and Canadian hockey star Jayna Hefford. In recent years, the Holy Cross Football Team has dominated the sport, winning consecutive OFSAA titles in 2018 and 2019.

Musicals

The annual musical and prominent theatre-arts program are a staple of student life at HC.


Year	Musical
1999	Little Shop of Horrors
2002	Guys and Dolls
2005	Les Misérables
2006	A Midsummer Night's Dream*
2007	Urinetown
2008	The Crucible*
2009	West Side Story
2010	Pippin
2011	Phantom of the Opera
2012	The Secret Garden
2013	Jesus Christ Superstar
2014	Shrek the Musical
2015	Guys and Dolls
2016	Les Misérables
2017	Godspell
2018	Newsies
2019	Little Shop of Horrors
2020	n/a
2021	The Wizard of Oz (cancelled)
2022	Grease
2023	Mamma Mia

*play, not a musical

Notable alumni

Jay McKee, hockey player (Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL)
Jayna Hefford, Canadian women's hockey gold medallist (Team Canada)
Paul Ragusa, Canadian wrestler and olympic wrestling coach
Nathan Robinson, hockey player (Espoo Blues, SM-liiga)
Brent Johnson, football player (British Columbia Lions)
Mike McCullough, football player (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
Jamie Arniel, hockey player (Providence Bruins, AHL)
Tim Cronk, football player (British Columbia Lions)
Matt O'Donnell, football player (Cincinnati Bengals, Edmonton Eskimos)
Shane Wright (ice hockey), hockey player (Seattle Kraken, NHL)

Awards

Faculty of Education of Queen's University Associate Teacher of the Year awards - John Esford for the 1998–1999 school year and Frank Halligan for the 2006–2007 school year.^[3]
In 2006, Spencer Watson won the Mayor's Award for Youth Volunteerism.^[4]
In 2001, Oleg Shamovsky was named a $4,500 Manning Young Canadian Innovator, for his project that identified anomalies of the electrolytic oxidation of aluminum, and won the gold medal in the Senior category of the Physical Sciences Division.^[5]
In 2014 Ryan Purdy won the Provincial Gold Medal in the Ontario Technological Skills Competition in Graphic Design (Presentation). Ryan was a member and graduate of the SHSM Specialist High Skills Major focus program in Information and Communications Technology taught by teacher Mr. John Esford.
In 2015 Claudia Pawlak won the Provincial Gold Medal in the Ontario Technological Skills Competition in Photography. Claudia was a member and graduate of the SHSM Specialist High Skills Major focus program in Information and Communications Technology taught by teacher Mr. John Esford.
In 2016 Ryan Murray won third place in the Ontario Ministry of Labour Student Video Safety Contest. Ryan was a member of the SHSM Specialist High Skills Major focus program in Information and Communications Technology taught by teacher Mr. John Esford.
In 2017 Andrew Donnelly won the Provincial Silver Medal in the Ontario Technological Skills Competition in Photography. Andrew was a member and graduate of the SHSM Specialist High Skills Major focus program in Information and Communications Technology taught by teacher Mr. John Esford, and is recognized as winning his school's “SHSM award” in his grade 12 year.
In 2019, Tim Pendergast won the Berk Brean Trophy, presented annually to the High School Coach of the Year by the Queen's Football Club

References

^ "Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School". Secondary School Profile. Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
^ [1], Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School
^ "Associate Teacher and Associate School Awards" Archived 2007-08-13 at the Wayback Machine, Queen's University
^ "Youth Volunteerisam Award Winners Announced" Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, City of Kingston, 24 April 2006
^ "Young Canadian Award Winners", Manning Innovation Awards