York Catholic District School Board of Trustees approve access to two unique specialized programs

BY PAUL JUNOR

The need for specialized programs offered by school boards in the Greater Toronto Area has increased over the past few years. The York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) currently serves about 51,000 student’s in101 schools with many offering specialized programs according to its website: https://www.ycdsb.ca.

On Tuesday, May 31^st, 2022, at a regular board meeting, the Board of Trustees passed two motions that will enable students to gain access to two unique specialized programs. St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School (CHS) will utilize a model that is presently in place at Holy Cross Catholic Academy in Woodbridge to offer the High Performer Athlete (HPA) program. Students will be able to earn two high school credits and they will follow a modified school schedule in order to accommodate their training schedules so that they can have access to the facilities before school or after school.

The press release states, “It is ideally located to serve the students in the northern areas of the board. It has an artificial turf field and track built and operated in partnership with the Town of Aurora. It also hosts half of the elementary track and field meets for the Board.”

The HPA program will commence in September 2023. Elizabeth Crowe, Chair of the YCDSB’s Board of Trustees states, “I want to thank the principal, parents and his staff for embracing the ideas and making it a reality.”

With respect to the French Immersion Program Expansions that were adopted by the Board of Trustees, it will be offered to families in the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville. It was based on funding that the YCDSB received from the Ministry of Education to open a multi-use school. The multi-use school will consist of a secondary school, an elementary school and childcare centre. The combined school facility will hold 1,400 pupil places, provide families with the opportunity to attend a local Catholic secondary school and assist in alleviating enrolment pressures at the existing Catholic elementary schools in Stouffville.

This new school named St. Katharine Drexel Catholic School is located on the east side of Ninth Line and south of Bethesda Road. It is expected to open in September 2023. The elementary school, Blessed Chiara Badano Catholic Elementary School, which is located in the same space, will be a Single-Track French Immersion school for Grades 1 -6.

The French Immersion program will see 16 elementary schools and 6 high schools in the YCDSB. It will provide non-francophone children with a high degree of proficiency in the French language where the language of instruction for most subjects is in French.

Interested parents can check:

Website: https://www.ycdsb.ca