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St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary
St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary
Address
	541 West Keith Rd.; North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7M 1M5; Canada
Coordinates	49°19′11″N 123°05′15″W / 49.3196°N 123.0875°W
Information
School type	Independent
Motto	Dirige Me in Veritate Tua; ("Direct me in your Truth")
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Founded	1959
School board	CISVA (Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese)
Superintendent	Mr. Marck Hudon
Area trustee	Mr. Michael Coyne
Administrator	Mrs. Linda Sibau
Principal	Mieszko Krol
Grades	8-12
Enrollment	650+
Language	English
Area	North Vancouver
Colour(s)	Red, White, and Black
Team name	Fighting Saints
Website	www.aquinas.org

St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary is a Catholic school, under the administration of CISVA (Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese) school board.^[1]

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".

History

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.

Independent School Status

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)

Academic performance

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.^{[citation needed]}

Athletic performance

Both the varsity boys' and girls' basketball teams participate in the BC Catholic Basketball Championship, one of the largest tournaments in British Columbia.^{[citation needed]}

School teams
Soccer
Volleyball
Track and field
Basketball
Cross country
Wrestling
Golf
Field hockey
Gymnastics
Swimming
Rowing

Girls volleyball

2009/10 - B.C. Senior Provincial Champions
2009/10 - B.C. Catholic Champions
2009/10 - Lower Mainland 'AA' Champions
2009/10 - B.C. Junior Catholic Champions
2009/10 - Junior Girls Vancouver & District Champions
2009/10 - Juvenile Girls Vancouver & District Champions
Ten time Top 10 finish 'AA" Provincial Championships
Eight Time B.C. Catholic Champions
Seven Time Juvenile Girls Vancouver & District Champions
Ten Time Bantam Girls Vancouver & District Champions

Boys soccer

2008/09 - 10th Place 'AA' Provincial Championships
Three Time 'A' Provincial Champions (1998, 2001, 2002)
2001/02 - Jr. Boys Vancouver Independent Schools Champions

Wrestling

2007/08 - 2nd Place Girls Vancouver & District
2007/08 - 2nd Place Jr. Boys & Girls North Shore Finals
2007/08 - Okangan Invitational Boys & Girls Champions
2005/06 - 5th Place 'AAA' Provincial Championships
2004/05 - 2nd Place 'AA' Provincial Championships
2003/04 - 2nd Place 'AA' Provincial Championships

Boys basketball

Four Time 'A' Provincial Champions (1992, 1993, 1994, 2003)
1999/2000 - 'AA' Provincial Champions
Four Time B.C. Catholic Champions
Three Time Bantam Boys Vancouver & District Champions

Girls basketball

2007/08 - North Shore Division One Champions
2002, 2003, 2004 North Shore 'AA' Champions
1994/95 - BC Catholic Champions

Track and field

2004/05 - North Shore Overall Aggregate Champions
2004/05 - Junior Boys Vancouver & District Champions
2002/03 - North Shore Overall Aggregate Champions
2001/02 - Vancouver & District Champions

Golf

2005/06 - 7th Place 'AA' Provincial Championships
2003/04 - Lower Mainland 'AA' Champions

Artistic performance

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

Notable alumni

Mike Bernier - Politician^[8]
Noel Callahan - Actor^[9]
David Coles - Musician^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b "About us". Catholic Independent Schools of Vancouver Archdioces.
^ "Saint Paul's (BC)". Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
^ "Truth and Reconciliation event opens wounds, exposes truths". Retrieved 2021-07-02.
^ "North Vancouver City OKs residential school monument". nsnews.com. 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
^ "UNVEILING CEREMONY - St. Paul's Indian Residential School Monument" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-09-05.
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2012-10-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Overview of Independent Schools in British Columbia
^ ^a ^b [1] The Fraser Institute - Report Cards - School Performance
^ "Saint Thomas Aquinas :: Alumni"
^ Saidman, Sorelle (May 28, 2004). "Romeo making Noel a star". The Province (Vancouver, B.C.). p. B6. ProQuest 269398078.
^ "The Playlist: Articulate hip-hopper is on track for 2011"