St. Francis Catholic Secondary

Infobox Education in Canada
name= St. Francis Catholic Secondary School
imagesize=
motto= "Make me an instrument of your peace"
motto_translation=
streetaddress= 541 Lake Street
city= St. Catharines
province= Ontario
postalcode= L2N 4H7
areacode= 905
phone= 905-646-2002
fax=
email=
url= http://www.stfrancisphoenix.com
schoolnumber=
schoolboard= Niagara Catholic District School Board
affiliation=
superintendent=
trustee=
principal= Mary LaGrotteria
viceprincipal= Brandon Atamanyk, Michael Diamond
administrator=
schooltype= Catholic secondary School
grades= 9 to 12
language= English
area= St. Catharines, Ontario
mascot= Phoenix
teamname= Phoenix
colours= White, Purple & Black
founded=
enrollment= +780St. Francis Catholic Secondary School is a Catholic high school and is one of three Catholic secondary schools found in St. Catharines, Ontario. St. Francis is the smallest of the eight high schools in the Niagara Catholic District School Board. However, St. Francis has been noted to contribute just as many extra-curricular activities as the larger high schools within the region.

Student Life

Student involvement at St. Francis is generally very high. St. Francis students have a good reputation in the board and city. The student body tends to exhibit a lot of school spirit. Face painting and body painting of logos and the school name are common at events. There is no official cheerleading team; however, the general school spirit and people running onto the field or court at halftime makes up for it. Members of other teams often come out to cheer their fellow students on at games, such as the partnership between the rowing team and the basketball team. In 2008, a "Purple Army" was created.

The annual Pilgrimage, which is a fundraiser for Haiti held at the end of October, is a very significant event in the year. On average, over two thirds of the student body comes out to walk, and in 2007, students raised over $47 000. Student turnout as well as money raised per capita and in total is greater than the other larger Catholic high schools in the region, Denis Morris and Holy Cross The money goes to benefit St. Marc's School in Haiti as well as FogQuest and the annual Christmas Basket Drive.

Academics

There is a strong academic focus at St. Francis. In standardized provincial testing, St. Francis usually places third in the Niagara Region after Ridley and Sir Winston Churchill.

Athletics

St. Francis has a large number of athletics for a school of its size. The teams it currently has are baseball, badminton, basketball, cross country, curling, football, golf, hockey, lobball, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. As well, Student Council runs an annual Dodgeball intramural tournament during its Recognition Day in June.

In the 2006/2007 year, St. Francis football had a perfect season. St. Francis also does well in basketball, as for the past few years it has sent its senior boys basketball team to OFSAA, where they usually finish second. The rowing program has done well in past years, winning several golds, silvers and bronzes at the prestigious Schoolboy tournament.

Extracurriculars

The extracurricular program at St. Francis is very strong, with many different clubs, such as art club, band, book club, chess, choir, drama, EcoSchools, God Squad, model UN, newspaper, Pilgrimage Committee, Reach, ski club, Student Council, Teen Life Savers, tech club and weight lifting.

The art club traditionally does an event each fall. In past years, they have run a Haunted House at the end of October, a few days before Pilgrimage, to raise additional money for Haiti. The Haunted House had no budget, yet managed to raise hundreds of dollars each year. In 2007, the Sidewalk Chalk Festival took its place. Students drew large pictures with sidewalk chalk on the back parking lot, and there were games and food as well. As well, they participate in projects throughout the year to beautify the school, such as the mosaic in the front or murals on the walls.

The school band and choir generally play during school masses and assemblies, but they often have performances throughout the year, such as the Christmas Concert or Arts Night. They have gone to Chicago to perform.

The drama department runs either a musical or a play for the Drama Festival each year. Some past performances have been Into the Woods, Jack and Jill, Grease, Competition Piece and Guys and Dolls. Musicals are usually performed at Ridley's Mandeville Theatre due to not having a theatre within St. Francis.

The newspaper, the Phoenix 411, publishes once a year. A large part of the content is produced by the Grade 12 Writer's Craft class, but newspaper staff members edit and produce much of the content as well.

Uniform

The uniform is provided by R.J. McCarthy's. St. Francis has been known to have a stricter uniform policy in comparison to other schools. For example, St. Francis is one of the few schools where girls cannot wear the girls' dress pants and must wear the boys style pants. All dress shirts and cardigans are emblazoned with the "SF" St. Francis logo. The uniform options consist of a short sleeved or long sleeved Oxford shirt, a sweater, sweatshirt or vest (to be worn from Thanksgiving to Easter), and grey dress pants or kilt. In recent years, Grade 12 students have had the option of wearing the "Grad Hoodie" instead of the sweater.

External links

* [http://www.stfrancisphoenix.com/ St. Francis Phoenix website]