Ottawa - Ottawa Catholic School Board
Ottawa - Ottawa Catholic School Board
Ottawa - Ottawa Catholic School Board
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
St. Gregory <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>School</strong> is one<br />
of the schools established in the<br />
former Nepean Township prior to<br />
the creation of the county-wide Carleton<br />
Roman <strong>Catholic</strong> Separate <strong>School</strong> <strong>Board</strong>.<br />
Opened in 1960, it was part of the<br />
blossoming of <strong>Catholic</strong> education in the<br />
growing township in the two decades from<br />
1950 to 1970.<br />
Most Rev. J.R. Windle, Auxiliary<br />
Bishop of <strong>Ottawa</strong>, blessed the new school in<br />
City View on June 18, 1959, assisted by<br />
Rev. Father Allan Charnon of St. Augustine<br />
Parish. L.J. Dupuis, Auxiliary Inspector of<br />
separate schools in <strong>Ottawa</strong> West, unveiled<br />
the plaque. At this blessing and official<br />
opening, V.R. “Brud” Zinck, former<br />
Chairperson of the local <strong>Catholic</strong> school<br />
board, explained that the school was named<br />
St. Gregory in honour of Sister M.<br />
St. Gregory (Bertha Cruikshank) of the<br />
Sisters of Holy Cross who was the founding<br />
principal of nearby St. Nicholas <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong>. Sister M. St. Gregory was the<br />
principal and teacher of the senior grades<br />
at St. Nicholas <strong>School</strong> from its opening in<br />
September 1953 until 1958 when she left<br />
for mission work on Moricetown Reserve in<br />
British Columbia. She had endeared herself<br />
to the students and school community<br />
during her time at St. Nicholas.<br />
In 1951, there was only one <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
elementary school in Nepean, with about<br />
200 students. By 1970, there were ten <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
elementary schools in Nepean and the<br />
enrolment was more than 3,000. These schools<br />
were administered by six separate <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
school boards, which had long debated uniting<br />
into one. This became a reality when the<br />
Carleton Roman <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>Board</strong> was<br />
established by provincial dictum in 1969.<br />
When Our Lady of Good Counsel<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>School</strong> on Bowhill Avenue, which<br />
had opened in 1965, was closed in 1983,<br />
students, staff and equipment moved to<br />
SCHOOL HISTORIES<br />
ST.<br />
GREGORY<br />
CATHOLIC SCHOOL<br />
148 Meadowlands Drive West<br />
Nepean K2G 2S5<br />
613-224-3011<br />
www.occdsb.on.ca/gre<br />
St. Gregory. In the 1980s, the school was<br />
twinned with the nearby St. Nicholas<br />
<strong>School</strong>, sharing a principal. When<br />
St. Nicholas was closed in 1990, the<br />
students and staff moved to St. Gregory.<br />
St. Gregory <strong>School</strong> itself moved<br />
for the 2001-02 school year after the <strong>Ottawa</strong>-<br />
Carleton <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>Board</strong> acquired<br />
and then renovated the former Brook Lane<br />
Public <strong>School</strong> on Meadowlands Drive. This<br />
move resulted in St. Gregory moving into<br />
a single-storey building with updated<br />
classrooms and a larger playground. The<br />
school was officially blessed and rededicated<br />
in its new location on February 7, 2002.<br />
OTTAWA-CARLETON CATHOLIC SCHOOL BOARD<br />
203<br />
As in the past, St. Gregory<br />
continues to meet the challenges of a<br />
changing world, implementing programs<br />
and activities that embody the Gospel<br />
values that are so much a part of <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
education. A Life Skills class was established<br />
during the 1980s. Barry Olivier, the teacher,<br />
implemented Friday luncheons with his<br />
group. Each week his students shopped for,<br />
prepared, served and interacted with their<br />
paying guests, practicing all the related<br />
skills. Staff and students always eagerly<br />
anticipated these feasts. Teachers Pat<br />
Switzer and Pat Bednarz started an<br />
Environment Club in the 1980s. One of the<br />
criteria behind the formation of the club was<br />
that there would be a relationship with a<br />
third world country. This was the origin of<br />
the school’s Kakinada Connection. Michelle<br />
Dussault, a French teacher at the school,<br />
lived next door to Dr. Chandra Sankurathri,<br />
a biologist who had lost his family in the<br />
tragic Air India crash of 1982. Dr. Chandra<br />
established the Manjare Sankurathri<br />
Memorial Foundation in his home village<br />
of Kakinada, India. This foundation sponsors<br />
a school and an eye clinic. St. Gregory<br />
<strong>School</strong> supports his work through its Lenten<br />
project fundraising each year. In December<br />
2004, St. Gregory <strong>School</strong> Principal, Theresa<br />
Kryski, traveled to Kakinada where her visit<br />
became part of a CBC-TV documentary on<br />
the work of Dr. Chandra.<br />
An Advent family Mass was<br />
implemented at St. Gregory <strong>School</strong> during<br />
the 1990s to encourage a closer connection<br />
among school, church and home. It became<br />
a highly successful and well-attended annual<br />
event, with parents and teachers sharing the<br />
organizational responsibility.<br />
A fun fair is currently the primary<br />
fundraiser at the school, taking place every<br />
spring under the guidance of the school<br />
council with the support of the staff and<br />
community. A huge raffle with prizes galore<br />
is a main drawing card for the event, as are
Change language