What's Happening at Holy Cross
Current events, upcoming events, school & community news and reminders!

Salutatorian Yeorgios Doulas (left) and Valedictorian Rachel Arnold (right) receive their plaques from Mr. Dan Roberts (2nd from left) and Mr. Mike Chambers at the Class of 2010 Graduation Ceremony.

On Tuesday, June 29^th 2010, the Holy Cross Community gathered to celebrate the Graduation of the Holy Cross Class of 2010. On this evening, our graduating students received their Ontario Secondary School Diploma in front of proud family, friends and teachers.

A big thank you to all those who made the 2010 Graduation Ceremony such a memorable celebration, especially Mr. Sean Roberts, our incomparable M.C. and of course all the graduates, their families and friends, and the staff of Holy Cross. We ask God to continue to bless our graduates and all those who have left our school community - to keep them safe on the path of life that now lies ahead of them.

See a video of some of the highlights of the 2010 Graduation Ceremony.

See a video of Mr. Sean Roberts' "Song for the Graduates".

See a web album of many of the 2010 grads receiving their OSSD.

See a web album of the award winners for the 2009-2010 school year.

More highlights from the 2010 Graduation in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format:

• The Class of 2010.

• Ontario Scholars from the Class of 2010.

• The Awards of Excellence from the Class of 2010.

• The subject award winners from the Class of 2010.

• Text of Principal Paul Walsh's Speech at the 2010 Graduation Ceremonies.

• Text of Rachel Arnold's Valedictorian Speech at the 2010 Graduation Ceremonies
  

HC students and staff at the Bell Centre which they visited as part of their trip to Montreal

Fifty-three Holy Cross Grade 9 and 10 French students recently experienced some French-Canadian culture by travelling to Montréal along with Miss Davey, Ms Fenrich and Mme Pollock.

The students enjoyed riding the funicular to the top of the Olympic tower, visiting the Bell Centre on a Stanley Cup playoff game night, shopping on St Catherine Street and ordering a meal in French. Au revoir!

Members of the Junior Boys' Soccer Team after winning the Steve Mantle Tournament at LaSalle. The team capped off an excellent season by capturing the KASSAA Soccer title.

A combination of shutout goaltending by Adam Gencarelli, tough defense, controlling mid-field play and timely goal scoring led the Junior Boys' Crusaders to a 3-0 victory over a tough Sydenham Golden Eagle team in the KASSAA Soccer Championship on Thursday, May 20^th. After a slow start, the team turned the season around by winning the Steve Mantle Tournament on May 5^th and continued their winning ways throughout the playoffs. The successful season was truly a team effort as every player made a meaningful contribution at key times throughout the year.

The team capped off the year with a trip to Pembroke on May 26^th to capture their fourth EOSSAA Championship in the last five years.

See a video of the hightlights of the KASSAA Championship Game.

Our Archbishop Brendan O’Brien joined the RND and Holy Cross groups for a picture on Parliament Hill.

An enthusiastic group of Holy Cross students, along with Staff Supervisors, Fr. Labelle and Mr. Chris Forster, bused up to Ottawa for the annual March for Life on Thursday, May 13^th, 2010. After hearing speeches from various Pro-Life Speakers, politicians, church leaders and people who have actually had abortions and who now speak out for life, we joined with Regiopolis-Notre Dame and 15,000 other Pro-Lifers for a silent march through the streets of downtown Ottawa. The March strengthened our resolve to speak out in support of human life from conception to natural death. Currently, Canada has no laws to regulate abortion which can be done at any time during a pregnancy. We learned how we can be involved in the ongoing efforts in Parliament to reintroduce legislation to protect the lives of the unborn and to help those affected by abortion.

Some of the many volunteers who helped at the "Shine Like the Son" Catholic Youth Rally hosted by Holy Cross on May 8th, 2010

Holy Cross hosted the 1st Annual “Shine Like the Son” Catholic Youth Rally on Saturday, May 8^th. Close to 300 teenagers and adult leaders from across the Archdiocese of Kingston gathered for a day of celebration of their Catholic faith through prayer, upbeat Contemporary Christian music, drama, workshop presentations and a Closing Youth Mass. The keynote speaker, Kevin McDonald gave an inspiring and humorous presentation during which he challenged the youth to look to Jesus as their ‘true’ hero. Archbishop Brendan O’Brien was present for most of the day and led the Morning prayer. Participants left uplifted by the music, the fellowship and the faith of so many wonderful people from all parts of our Archdiocese. Special thanks to Anne Heemskerk, Archdiocesan Youth Coordinator, for her work in making this Rally possible. And to all the volunteers who helped make it such a great success.

Holy Cross CSS was founded in 1986 and operated out of a shared facility with KCVI and Victoria Public School in downtown Kingston. In the 2010-11 Academic Year Holy Cross will celebrate 25 years of service to the Catholic and Greater Kingston communities. Plans are in the works to celebrate the Silver Anniversary of the school through out the year culminating in Silver Anniversary Reunion Weekend scheduled for the 2011 Victoria Day Weekend, May 20^th-22^nd.

Holy Cross is launching the Holy Cross 25^th Anniversary Logo Contest in recognition of this milestone in 2010. The Contest is open only to members of the Holy Cross community including students, parents, staff, and graduates.

See the official rules!

Each year, in memory of Father Stan, there is a soccer challenge involving the girls and boys soccer teams of RND and Holy Cross. Father Stanislaus Kurusumuthu was born in Vakari, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka on December 6, 1939. He pursued his love of education and demonstrated his love of youth through his 15 year teaching career at Holy Cross and Regiopolis-Notre Dame from 1986 to the time of his death on April 5, 2001. His sudden passing due to a heart attack in 2001 while on staff at RND left a void in the community.
Fr. Stan always had a story to tell: God blessed him with humour and vitality. He had a gift for reaching out to those sometimes on the fringes, and he won everyone over with his endless teasing and generosity. As one student commented, "Father Stan was never too busy to chat it up or even hook it up with anyone." Another student fondly remarked: "The little man with the twinkle in his eyes is definitely going 'upstairs'".

This year, Holy Cross hosted the Fr. Stan Memorial Games on Wednesday, April 28th. The Junior Boys' and Girls' both tied while the two Senior teams dropped their matches. More importanly, all the matches were competitive and well played and would have made Fr. Stan proud!

See a video of the Junior Girls' Soccer Team vs. Sydenham on April 26, 2010.

The “Beacons of Hope” celebrations are a series of community breakfasts which recognize some of the students whose contributions to their school and the wider community reflect our Catholic virtues. The students selected are significant contributors to the life of their school through their lived experiences. They come to school each day, give it their best and add to the positive climate of their schools. They give witness to the virtues.

Two Holy Cross students, Rachel Arnold and Ciara Roberts, were selected for this honour, and were recognized at the breakfast held at the Ambassador Hotel on Monday, April 12, 2010. Rachel and Ciara certainly make our Holy Cross community a better place.

	Principal Paul Walsh with Ciara Roberts at the Beacon of Hope Breakfast.		Rachel Arnold with Trustee (and former HC Vice Principal) Greg Speagle.

The 2010 K2K Jamaica Mission Group from Holy Cross and Regiopolis-Notre Dame as they prepare to board their plane back to Canada on March 21

Twelve students and five supervisors who took part in the K2K Jamaica Mission Trip and spent 12 days over the March Break volunteering in Jamaica. The group faced many challenges along the way including an extended drought which meant going without running water most days and putting up with hot, dry conditions in many of the areas which they visited. The team split into two smaller groups with one team going to Riverton City Basic School to paint rooms and work with young students and the other going to St. Margaret’s Primary School where they were assigned to work individually with students who needed help with reading, writing or arithmetic. The group also visited at St. Monica’s Home for Abandoned Elderly and persons with HIV/AIDS or Leprosy and spent some musically uplifting afternoons with the St. Patrick’s All-Stars Performing Arts Band. One of the highlights of this trip was the historic Twinning Mass which our group attended along with the Mission Group from Nicholson C.C. in Belleville. We were especially blessed to have our Archbishop Brendan O’Brien with us for this Mass and for the signing of an historic Twinning Agreement between our two Kingston Archdioceses.

Eleven members of the Holy Cross Crusaders Girls' Field Hockey Team travelled to Bermuda over the March Break. Their intent was to play a few games against local teams and experience a new culture. Experience they did. For many, this was their first independent trip and for a few, their first flight! It was the trip of a lifetime and all had a ball. Who knew that if you accidentally pushed the red stop button on the bus that it actually had to stop. The Bermuda Triangle wasn’t even scary but the rain on the way back from the three hour cruise certainly was. Rain...don’t get us started but the Lord blessed us with sun when we needed it. Mr. K got tied up literally for trumped up charges and Kenneth the taxi driver turned out to be His Honour the Mayor of St.Georges who gave us our surprise - a certificate commemorating our visit that day. And it turns out that dolphins can wink or at least the ones we swam with at Dolphin Quest did. The beaches were hazy and warm and the sand really is pink. Finally, the competition was intense. Our goalies were severely tried but we held our own despite playing on the much faster turf. Thanks to our parents for letting us go - we have grown and we learned to appreciate God’s world a little better.

See a photo album of their adventure.

The Holy Cross Improv Team competed in the Canadian Improv Games on Wednesday, March 24, 2010. The team finished 7th out of 20 teams. Students from all over Canada compete in the National tournament each year. Congratulations to: Ciara Roberts, Michael Vermeersch, Allison McLean, Luke Ottenhof, Josh Blackstock, Hailey Masterson, Grace Hill and Tyler Check.

The students of Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School put their imaginations to the test for a charity event no one will forget. The K to K Charity Eco-Wardrobe Show was held on March 9^th, 2010 in the Holy Cross cafeteria. All proceeds from this event supported K to K, an organization of teachers and students from Holy Cross who travel from Kingston, Ontario to Kingston, Jamaica, and volunteer in an economically disadvantaged community. K to K was an opportunity for the Holy Cross community to see the wearable art that students designed for each runway. The motto for the show was "re-use the old to make new". The show was a great success and confirmed the incredible talent and creativity of the Holy Cross community. Thank you to all who help made this night so successful.

See a movie of the event shot by Nick Hegarty and edited by Joey Cifala.

Sr. Peggy Malcolm shares HC stories with current Holy Cross Com Tech student Jerai.

Grade 12 Holy Cross Communications Technology students are producing a video documentary about Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School in preparation for 25th anniversary celebrations in 2011.

HC Communication Technology students are contacting and video recording interviews of past staff, students and parents. If you would like to participate in this project, contact Mr. John Esford at esford@alcdsb.on.ca to book an interview time. The first set of interviews were conducted on Saturday, March 6th, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Holy Cross in Room 218.

The course selection workshops will begin Thursday, February 18 until Monday, March 1. Students will spend time in the computer lab entering their course selections for the next school year. Students will need their Maplewood password and their course selection working form. The course calendar with course descriptions can be accessed on hctoday.ca

Students who require a password should see their teachers, or come to Student Services.

Link to PowerPoint Presentation for students entering Grade 10

Link to PowerPoint Presentation for students entering Grade 11

Link to PowerPoint Presentation for students entering Grade 12

Link to PowerPoint Presentation for students returning for Grade 12

The HC Cheerleaders perform their routine at the K-Rock Centre.

Congratulations to our Holy Cross Cheerleading Team on their very successful competitions at the K-Rock Centre on February 14^th, 2010. The KASSAA Championship was changed this year to include both all girl and coed teams. The Holy Cross team is the only all-girls team in KASSAA and they outscored the other four teams in the competition to win first place. The team then competed in their first regional competition and won 1st place in their division. To top off their already amazing day of performances, the team also won Grand Championship by having the highest score of the approximately twenty school teams in attendance. Way to go girls!

See a photo gallery of the HC Team at the competition. Pictures by Mr. Scott Lillis.

Organizers June Hannah and Debbie Myers prepare dessert for the Soup and Bread Lunch recently enjoyed by staff.

Holy Cross Staff recently organized two “Soup and Bread Lunches” to raise money for the Relief effort in Haiti. Staff took a break from marking exams and culminating activities to enjoy some of the seven delicious soups and desserts that were donated by Holy Cross staff and by parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle Church. So far, Holy Cross has raised over $2200.00 for Haiti with more to come from a "Twooney-For-Non-Uni" day on Friday, February 5^th and a Pancake Breakfast on February 16^th.

For more information on the situation on Haiti go to the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace website.

The 21^st Memorial Basketball Games between the Crusader and Panther Boys' Basketball Teams took place on Thursday, January 14^th at Regiopolis-Notre Dame. The Junior Crusaders crushed the Panthers 63-40 while the Senior Crusaders were on the losing end of the score. More importantly, over $12 000 was raised in support of Cancer research through the "Twoonie for a Non-uni" day at both schools, the sale of t-shirts and hoodies, game admissions and a number of events at the games including a silent auction, a 50/50 draw, a twoonie toss, and raffle. To date, over $280 000 has been raised for cancer research since the inception of this event in 1989. Thanks to all who participated to continue the fight against this dreaded disease.

See the Memorial Video from 1998 from the HCTV Archives which gives insight into the origins of the Memorial and footage of some of the earliest games!

Ms. Veronica Harold-Carter

Ms. Veronica Harold-Carter recently returned to her native Narooma in New South Wales (Australia) after spending the past year here at Holy Cross on a teaching exchange program. Ms. Harold-Carter taught English, Religion and Social Science during her time at our school. Her daughter Emily was a student at Holy Cross and took part in the recent production of West Side Story. Along with her husband John and two younger children Max and Nicholas, the two greatly enjoyed their stay in Kingston.

Read about the family's year in Canada at Ms. Harold-Carter’s blog.

Student Council members counting and rolling money donated by Holy Cross students for the Kingston Christmas Hamper Campaign. Over $5000 was raised - $1000 more than the intial goal.

This year Student Council and the Crusaders In Community Service (CICS) set a goal of $4000.00 for our Kingston Christmas Hamper Campaign - enough to provide a full Christmas Dinner for 40 local families including gifts for any children and gift certificates for teenagers.

In mid-November, the campaign promotion began. Students and staff were encouraged to come up with creative ways of raising money, including daily waffle sales and selling popcorn and Christmas gift boxes during lunch hours. One art class held a 'Mona Lisa' cupcake sale; others rented out hammocks or sold raffle tickets. Thanks to the generosity of the HC Community, over $5000 was raised! We are making plans to deliver our Christmas Hampers and gifts to the homes of our 'adopted' families on Friday afternoon.

The Vanier Cup at Holy Cross! (L to R) Queen's Head Coach Mr. Pat Sheahan, Queen's Player/HC Grad Devan Sheahan, HC Senior Grant Carr, HC Senior Head Coach Mr. Tim Pendergast.

KASSAA Football Champion HC Crusader football players received an early Christmas gift Wednesday, December 16^th, as the Vanier Cup made an appearance at Holy Cross. Members of the Vanier Cup winning Queen's University football team gave Crusaders the opportunity to see the Holy Grail of Canadian University football. Queen's football head coach Pat Sheahan spoke with Holy Cross students about entering university, the level of commitment required for university athletics, and the transition from secondary school. Of special note, there were five Holy Cross Crusaders on the Vanier Cup winning Queen's team. Visiting with the Vanier Cup were Holy Cross graduates Matt O'Donnell, Mike Sullivan and Devan Sheahan.

Sean Fleet performs at the 2009 Rick Thompson Memorial Coffeehouse. Over $1000 was raised in Rick's name for th St. Mary of the Lake Palliative Care Centre.

The Rick Thompson Memorial Coffee House, held on Wednesday, December 2^nd, 2009, was a huge artistic and fund-raising success. The many acts of the night brought the house down with their talent, including performances from Omar the rapper, local comedian Calvin, singer extrordinare Josh Blackstock with his piano player Laura Donohue and the fabulous Tianna Weatherdon doing a dance piece. All of the bands were excellent and were not afraid to show what they’ve got, getting the crowd on their feet and bringing the cafetorium to life with rock and roll.

More importantly, over $1000 was raised to be donated to St. Mary of the Lake Palliative Care Centre in Rick's name. We would like to thank all the volunteers for donating their time and efforts to this cause and for the performers who made this the best coffeehouse to date at Holy Cross. The night would not have been if it wasn’t for you!

See a video of highlights the event. Camera by Ashlee Charlton and Olivia O'Hearn. Edited by Sarah Costa.

See a photo gallery of the event. Photos by Stephanie Jodoin and Grace Sylvester. Photo gallery created by Grace Sylvester.

HC Chaplain Fr. Labelle, Fr. McNeil, Friar Quakenbush, Friar DeBono, Pastoral Coordinator Chris Forster, Fr. Reed and Father Grainger enjoy lunch in betweer celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation at Holy Cross on Thursday, December 3rd. Missing from picture is Fr. Murphy.

Twice a year, during the seasons of Advent and Lent, the Pastoral Services team at Holy Cross organizes times of prayer and reflection for the different grade levels throughout the school day. While slides are shown depicting various scripture passages, reflections and prayers on the theme of reconciliation, students and staff are encouraged to visit one of the priests in order to ask for a prayer, a blessing or to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This year, the Sacrament of Reconciliation for Advent was celebrated on Thursday, December 3^rd.

At a time in the history of the Church when many people have dismissed this Sacrament as being irrelevant and ineffective it is inspiring to see so many young people visiting a priests and obviously receiving a very special grace and blessing for their lives. As we prepare our hearts for the feast of Christmas, may each of us find time to admit our need for repentance and reconciliation in our lives. And may each of us find that peace and joy that God is so eager to share with us in return.

A group shot of the art and history students who visited the AGO in Toronto on Thursday, November 26th.

The King Tut show featured artifacts from the entire history of Egyptian civilization. Sorry, no mummy, but lots more to see. Thanks to Mr. McCombs for the scariest subway ride ever. We ended our day with dinner and a chance to visit the Eaton Center.

The students are grateful to Mrs. McCombs, Mrs. Dalton, Mr. McCombs and Miss Mak for making the day run so smoothly.

The teachers would like to thank the students for their punctuality and good behaviour throughout the day. You made our school proud. Good job Crusaders!

Rick Thompson, a longtime member of the Caretaking Staff here at Holy Cross, died on Saturday, November 28^th after a short illness. Rick's caring and helpful ways were well known to all of us here at our school. He was keenly interested in the achievements of the students in sports and the arts and was a great supporter of our school's Green initiatives. He will be deeply missed. Our sympathies and prayers go out to his family and friends.

There will be a Memorial Mass for Rick at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 19^th at St. Paul the Apostle Church (1111 Taylor-Kidd Blvd) followed by a reception in the Church Hall. All are welcome.

Tony (Josh Blackstock) and Maria (Jessica Bullett) sing "Tonight" in the Balcony Scene in the Holy Cross production of "West Side Story".

Congratulations to all who took part in the Holy Cross Arts Department production of “West Side Story”. The play, which ran from Wednesday, November 25^th until Saturday, November 28^th, was a great success and drew overflow crowds at every performance. The cast should be thanked for a great performance, the crew for an outstanding presentation and the band for amazing music!

Over one hundred student actors, dancers, musicians, artists and crew combined their talents to create this modern retelling of Shakespeare’s great love story, Romeo and Juliet. Set in New York’s gang-ridden streets in the 1950's, West Side Story focuses on Tony and Maria, two star-crossed lovers who are torn between loyalty to their rival gangs, and their intense love for each other. The play examines the contemporary problems that ethnic groups face as targets of discrimination, and the power of love to transcend the hatred and violence that racial intolerance breeds.

See a photo gallery of the cast and crew. Photos by Katie Wheeler and Emily Almeida. Photo gallery created by Grace Sylvester.

See a photo gallery of the performance. Photos by Katie Wheeler and photo gallery created by Grace Sylvester.

Grace Sylvester and Sam Hume, members of the HCTV Club, are the newsreaders for the HCTV This Week Podcasts for the week ending November 27, 2009.

Grade 12 Communications Technology students are producing the HC This Week Podcast again for our fifth season! This year's edition of the podcast is an expanded news, sports and information program. Students perform the roles of anchorperson, studio camera operators, audio and lighting technicians, field camera operators, reporters, music composers, graphic designers and editors.

This week's podcast focuses on the many stories behind the HC production of West Side Story along with the accompanying art exhibit "West Side Story - The Other Story".

See the podcast "Behind the Scenes of West Side Story" for the week ending November 27^th, 2009.

Crusader Chris Neilson (87) brings down a St. Peter's ball carrier while Jacob Harpell (51) moves in for support. The Crusaders lost a hard-fought 33-27 decision in the Capital Bowl Semi-final.

The Holy Cross Senior Football Crusaders' quest for the National Capital Bowl ended on Saturday, November 21^st with a 33-27 loss against Ottawa area champion St. Peter Knights from Orleans. Despite being behind most of the game, the Crusaders constantly fought back and the Knights only secured victory with a last play pass deflection. The Crusader spirit was acknowledged by Knights coach Jim Mick in the Ottawa Sun when he said" Holy Cross should hold their heads high .. There was absolutely no quit in that Holy Cross team."

See a photo gallery of the game. Photos by Isaac Gazendam. Photo gallery created by Grace Sylvester.

During the Street Patrol, members of our group paused for a picture in Nathan Phillips Square .

On Monday and Tuesday, November 16^th and 17^th, sixteen students and staff from Holy Cross and Regiopolis-Notre Dame travelled to Toronto for our annual Street Retreat. While in Toronto, the group took part in a variety of volunteer activities that focussed on the plight of the homeless, refugees, and people with HIV/AIDS. They also volunteered at St. Felix Centre and St. Francis Table where they prepared and served food for their lunch programs. On Monday night the group did a Street Patrol where they went out onto the streets of Toronto to share lunches and friendly conversation with the homeless. Each person on the retreat saw first-hand the many ways God is present in people whom our society so often looks down upon. The group also witnessed how Christ is working through the many people and agencies who are extending a helping hand to their brothers and sisters in Christ on the streets of Toronto.

See a photo gallery of the trip. Photos by Mr. C. Forster and Ms. N. Gundert. Photo gallery created by Grace Sylvester.

HC Tech students Stephanie (L) and Miranda (R) pose with E Talk host Tanya during the tour of the CTV Globemedia building in Toronto.

On Thursday, November 12^th, Grade 12 Communications Technology students, lead by Mr. Esford and Mr. P. Murphy, traveled to Toronto to explore potential post-secondary school studies and career opportunities in the Canadian entertainment industry. Students toured Ryerson University's general campus, buildings, Phys Ed facilities, and residences. Students were treated to a personal tour of Ryerson's Radio-TV Arts facilities, lead by Ryerson staff member and HC Com Tech grad Mr. Dan Greenwood. Students had the opportunity to operate $75,000 cameras and $100,000 audio boards.

The group then traveled to CTV Globemedia building to tour the Much Music, CP24 TV News, Etalk, and Fashion TV facilities. After the tour, the students were audience members in the live national broadcast of "Much On Demand". Students mingled with VJ's Tim and Devon and provided a loud cheering backdrop for the show!

The day wrapped up with a delicious meal at "The Old Spaghetti Factory"! Students reported that the day was:"eye-opening", "exciting", and "they want to live it!"

See a photo gallery of the highlights of the trip.

Our November School Liturgy on Wednesday November 11^th will take place in the Cafeteria and will start at 8:40 a.m. and be repeated three times. It will take the form of a 15 - 20 minute Dramatic Reflection on Remembrance Day presented by Ms. Rose's Grade Ten Drama class, Ms. Check-Drumm's Grade Eleven Vocal Music class, and Mr. Dusome's Grade Eleven Communication Technology class. The three classes are collaborating on the presentation for this Remembrance Day.

See an album of Remembrance Day Posters produced by students in Mr. Lobo's Grade 9 Art class.

HC Seniors celebrate their championship. They defeated the Frontenac Falcons 28-9 in the KASSAA Championship Game November 8th at LCVI.

Both the Junior and Senior Crusaders won the Kingston Area Secondary School Athletic Association (KASSAA) Football Championship with victories on Sunday, November 8^th. Championships are not new to the Juniors as they captured their fourth title in the past five years. The Seniors however won for the first time in the 23 year history of the Holy Cross.

In the junior contest, the Crusaders overcame a stubborn Sydenham squad to post a thrilling 22-21 victory. The teams traded touchdowns throughout the game and the outcome was not decided until the last few seconds. With the score tied at 21 and the ball deep in the Sydenham end, the Crusaders elected to try for a rouge by kicking the ball into the Golden Eagles’ end zone. However, an alert Sydenham player kicked the ball out of the end zone back to the Crusaders. After some confusion, the Crusaders jumped on the ball which resulted in a no-yards penalty against Sydenham and gave Holy Cross another chance. On the second attempt, the Crusader punter made no mistake and punted the ball through the end zone for the winning point.

The Seniors had an easier time of it to win their first championship with a surprisingly dominant 28-9 triumph over the reigning champion Frontenac Falcons. A strong ground attack supported by a number of receptions at key moments powered the Crusader offence while the defensive unit shut down the vaunted Frontenac passing attack. The win avenged their early season loss to the Falcons.

See a video of the teams celebrating their victories.

See the KASSA Finals Preview show produced by HCTV that is shown during the half-time of the Cogeco broadcast.

On Wednesday, November 5^th, students on the 2009 Academic Honour Roll were invited to the annual Honour Roll Breakfast to celebrate their academic achievements. These students achieved an average of 80 or above in their courses in the 2008-2009 school year. While enjoying breakfast, the students heard congratulatory words from Mr. Walsh and other dignitaries. After the students receiving their certificates of achievement, keynote speaker Andrew McIntyre, a 2002 graduate, gave an inspiring talk.

See a video of the highlights of the celebration.

As an eco-initiative, the November Newsletter and all others that follow will be sent electronically to all parents and interested community members. We believe that distributing the newsletter electronically will achieve two goals: a significant reduction in photocopying as well as increased access to the newsletter for our parents. We will still make some hard copies for homeroom classes to share and for distribution in some public areas of the school, such as Student Services and the Main Office.

Sign up today by pressing the "Newsletter" button on the right or by following this link.

Note that we will take every precaution to protect the privacy of your e-mail address and we will never share it with any other party.

On July 21st , 1997, our fellow school community, Regiopolis - Notre Dame, lost one of its greatest supporters. Paul Halligan died of cancer after a two year battle with the disease. Paul was a graduate of RND, a basketball and football coach, an organizer of the Alumni Association, founder of the Irish Ontario Basketball Club, and the driving force behind the Peter Carty Memorial. Above all else, Paul was a devoted member of the school community, continually demonstrating his Christian call to service. He lived a vocation of service and our school communities are blessed to have known him and touched by his life.

Grace Hill and her Junior Basketball teammates share their inspirational reflections.

The two schools participate in a number of activities to raise awareness about breast cancer and raise funds for the Breast Screening Program in Kingston. While the exact totals are still being tallied, over $6500 was raised through the sale of t-shirts, "Twoonie for a Non-Uni Day" and game admissions.

This year’s games were at Holy Cross on Thursday, October 29^th with the Crusaders sweeping both games. The Juniors stormed back from a 13 point half-time deficit to defeat the Panthers 31-28 while the Seniors beat the previously unbeaten Panthers 37-26.

This event causes many people involved to reflect on its meaning and on life in general.

• See a photo gallery which introduces the Senior Team players and coaches and presents their reflections.

• See a photo gallery which introduces the Junior Team players and coaches and presents their reflections.

• See a photo gallery of the event by Isaac Gazendam.

HC Boys' Golf Team team members (from left to right): Coach Rob Watts, Alex Hambly, Jay Fabro, Kyle Benford, Eric Macrow and coach Mike McAllister.

Congratulations to the Holy Cross Boys' Golf Team. On Thursday, October 15^th, they won a bronze medal at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) Golf Championships in St. Catharines. The team moved up from fourth place after the first day to a tie for second place at the end of the second day, and settled for third after a sudden death playoff. The weather conditions both days were extremely cold and difficult. Congratulations to team members Eric Macrow, Alex Hambly, Jay Fabbro and Kyle Benford and coaches Rob Watts and Mike McAllister.

Holy Cross gained Silver Status last year (2008-2009) as an Eco-school. To start off the 2009-2010 school year, the Green Team has decided to register and join the 350 movement to raise awareness and promote 350 activities throughout the school community. A poster campaign is currently underway and on Thursday, October 15^th, the entire school population gathered on the football field for the "HC 350" photo above.

• See a time-lapse movie of the creation of the "HC 350" photo.

350 is an international grassroots campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis - the solutions that science and justice demand. Scientists say that 350 parts per million CO₂ in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity. At this point, we are at 387! Learn more about 350 – what it means, where it came from, and how to get there.Activities focus around the number 350. But 350 is more than a number - it's a symbol of where we need to head as a planet. For more information regarding local activites/events to join or Ontario's provincial event planned for October 24^th in Ottawa, please visit www.350.org

Both the Junior and Senior Crusaders again found playing under the lights to their liking as Holy Cross won the annual "Friday Night Lights" Catholic Cup against the Regiopolis-Notre Dame Panthers for the third consecutive year. This year's games took place at Queen's Tindall Field on Friday, October 9^th. Despite the constant rain, this great rivalry resulted in a large contingent of fans from both schools forming a sea of green, silver, garnet and gold and filled the sidelines with intense school spirit.

In the opening contest, the Junior Crusaders edge the Panthers 21-20 in a see-saw contest that was only decided by a late Holy Cross interception to snuff out a Regi scoring drive. The second game was more of a one sided affair as the Seniors defeated the Panthers 37-13. Most importantly, all proceeds went towards cancer research as well as supporting both programs.

See these games and other Holy Cross sports action as well as our always informative half-time show on the Cogeco KASSAA Game of the Week program cablecast on Cogeco Cable Channel 13.

See a movie of this event!

See a photo gallery of the game and the fans.

See a photo gallery of the pre-game pep rally.

For this year's food drive, CICS and Student Council did something new this year in combination with the Friday Night Lights Football Games. Each home form class was assigned two football players whose combined weight was recorded. The classes were challenged to match their 'adopted' football players total poundage with the weight of the food they collect by October 9^th. The classes that met their football players' weight were eligible to win a pizza party.

As well, Student Council challenged every student at Holy Cross to contribute money to the Thanksgiving Food Drive. Thanks to all who helped us in our efforts to fill the shelves at the local Partners in Mission Food Bank.

Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving (OSAID) work together in communities across Ontario to help reduce impaired driving in today’s youth. On September 30^th and October 1^st, the Grade 11 students at Holy Cross learned that impaired driving happens to be the number one cause of death for teenagers. OSAID’s message is not to stop the partying, it teaches everyone to be aware and to be safe while having fun at the same time. This program teaches how to make the right choices and what can happen if the wrong choice is made. The grade elevens learned the consequences of binge drinking, alcohol poisoning, how to deal with intoxicated people, and how to handle an emergency situation. For more detailed information, visit osaid.org.

Students participated in four different stations, each one covering a topic dealing with impaired driving. Students got to work with manikins to show how to take care of a person with alcohol poisoning and got to see first hand what an impaired person sees while performing everyday tasks. At another station, students heard true stories from a police officer on how impaired driving can not just be dangerous to the driver, but also everyone around them. At the end of the session, students got illusion cards to remind them that vision can sometimes be misguiding and that driving while impaired could be between life and death. Special thanks to the women wo came down from Public Health Unit to have these sessions with our Grade 11 students.

This year the 29^th Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research was held on Sunday, September 13^th at St. Lawrence College. Holy Cross was represented by a large contingent of staff and students which resulted in our school winning the Brady Award for the greatest representation from local high schools for the seventh consecutive year!

Since Terry’s run in 1980, there has been great progress in cancer research:

• Almost 60% of people diagnosed with cancer in Canada today will survive.
• Incidence rates for most cancers are stabilizing or declining.
• Death rates for childhood cancers have fallen by more than 50% since the 1950's.
• Cancer treatments are more effective and have fewer side effects.
• Most children and youth who have the same bone cancer Terry had will survive their disease today, and most will not lose their legs or affected limbs.

Photo by Peter Sanfilippo

A Grade 9 HC student participating in one of the events at the Grade 9 Orientation.

Holy Cross Grade 9 students took part in a half-day orientation on Friday, September 11^th, 2009. Regular Grade 9 classes in Periods One and Two were replaced by activities designed to help students get to know one another and feel welcome here at Holy Cross.

See a video of this event shot by students enrolled in the Grade 12 Communication Technology courses taught by Mr. J. Esford and Mr. P. Murphy and edited by Sarah Costa.

The event started at the football field behind the school where the Grade 9 students were introduced to their activity leaders who were members of the Student Council and the school mentorship program. They began their transformation to Crusaders with the application of liberal amounts of green (washable) paint and the first of many school chants. The students then proceeded to Woodbine Field where they took part in activities such as “Water Balloon Toss”, “Slip and Slidel” and a series of unique races. At the end of the morning, they returned to the school for a hot-dog lunch and a bit of a clean-up.

See a photo gallery of this event by students enrolled in the Grade 12 Communication Technology courses taught by Mr. J. Esford, Mr. P. Prior and Mr. P. Murphy.

Fr. Labelle celebrates mass with the Holy Cross Community.

The entire Holy Cross Community came together in the gymnasium for the first liturgy of the school year on Thursday, September 10^th. We celebrated our school feast, the Triumph of the Cross. The Student Council and our CICS Executive were commissioned for the coming year and crosses for our Grade 9 students were blessed.

See a video of this event by Eric Hurt, a student in Mr. P. Murphy's Web Design course.

Lewis MacDonald delivers his Valedictorian Address

On Thursday, June 25^th 2009, the Holy Cross Community gathered to celebrate the Graduation of the Holy Cross Class of 2009. On this evening, our graduating students received their Ontario Secondary School Diploma in front of proud family, friends and teachers.

A big thank you to all those who made the 2009 Graduation Ceremony such a memorable celebration, especially Mr. Sean Roberts, our incomparable M.C. and of course all the graduates, their families and friends, and the staff of Holy Cross. We ask God to continue to bless our graduates and all those who have left our school community - to keep them safe on the ‘Path of Life” that now lies ahead of them.

See a portion of the 2009 Graduation "Memories" video produced by Eric DeSousa, Adam Wilson, Eric Hurt and Sarah Costa under the supervision of Communication Technology teacher Mr. John Esford.

More highlights from the 2009 Graduation ceremony will soon be available on HCToday.ca

Grade 9 Orientation in September was one of the highlights of the school year.

Over the past school year, students in the Grade 11 and Grade 12 Communication Technology Classes taught by Mr. Esford created a number of videos to highlight some of the many newsworthy happenings that take place at Holy Cross. At the year-end mass, a compilation of some of the highlights of these events was shown to the great enjoyment of the students and staff. The video editor was Sam Hume while Eric DeSousa was responsible for capturing the video and producing the music.

Watch the video.

The school year got off to an early but very good start on Tuesday, September 1 ^st! To ensure all parents and students are familiar with school policy, please review the following:

All of the information outlined above as well as other important information is contained in our August Newsletter. Have an electronic version of the monthly newsletter automatically delivered to you by pressing the "Newsletter" button on the right or by following this link.

Holy Cross students in all grades are prohibited from smoking or being in possession of tobacco or tobacco products at Holy Cross this September. The school and the KFLA Health Unit will continue to offer the Quit 4 Life smoking cessation classes in 2009-10. Students who choose to break this rule will face suspension and a system of progressive discipline for failure to comply with the school's expectation. In connection with this, students will not be allowed to linger in groups on the path across from the school (or in other areas). The pathway has become an area of concern for us in terms of littering and safety, for our students and for community members. Expect that we will move groups of students away from the pathway. Also, students found smoking on school grounds may receive a bylaw infraction ticket, which prompts a fine of over three hundred dollars and a court visit. Make healthy and respectful choices, Holy Cross.

Catholic parents and guardians, electors and supporters are being encouraged to continue to ensure that they are registered as English-Separate Supporters. The support of residential ratepayers is directly linked to attendance rights and indicates a firm commitment to the system essential to maintaining the existence of Catholic school boards in Ontario. If you are not listed as a Separate School Supporter and wish to remedy this, please visit our web site www.alcdsb.on.ca and choose the link named "Direction of Tax Support" or call our Assessment Department at (613) 354-6257, Extension #455.

Tri-Board Student Transportation Services Inc. receives many calls from parents looking for everything from eligibility information to bus stop locations to pick up times. We now have an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system that will provide
transportation information directly from our data base. This office already uses Trapeze MapNet for routing and planning and with the addition of our IVR system, which uses our existing data base, we are confident our level of service for parents will increase. Tri-Board Student Transportation Services Inc. can now offer our parents up-to-date transportation information for their children. Parents can dial into our office and log in using the student's OEN (Ontario Education Number) which is found on student report cards along with the student's date of birth (6 digits - year-month-day ie. 04 12 25) to access the student's
transportation information, including pick up/drop off times and locations. To access the IVR system please dial 613 354-8202 OR 1-866-934-7209. Users have the option of speaking directly to a Tri-Board Student Transportation Services Inc staff member at any time. This Student Transportation Information feature will also be available on our web site (www.triboard.on.ca) at a later date using the same access information (OEN and date of birth). We are optimistic the system will not only improve the quality of service but parents will be able to access transportation information for their children at any time of the day or night. For more information or comments please contact us at info@triboard.on.ca.

Read the memo to all parents regarding the new Interactive Voice Response system at Tri-Board Student Transportation Services Inc.

Please review the Code of Conduct. It may be found in the course calendar with your registration package you recieved earlier in the summer as well as the agenda. It is our expectation that parents/guardians and students will read this document and use it to guide their actions. If you should have any questions, please direct them to a member of the administration team.

Some highlights and/or changes include:

• Athletics
• Attendance at Holy Cross
• Cell Phone Policy
• Holy Cross Uniform Policy
• Is Your Son / Daughter 18 Years Old?
• Lockers / Personal Property
• MP3 Players / Other Electronic Gadgets
• Non-smoking Policy 2008 - 2009
• Punctuality
• Student Parking and Traffic

The staff at Holy Cross has agreed, with the support of our Catholic School Council, that a consistent approach to submission of major summative assessments will encourage students to be responsible and to adhere to good time management skills. For major summative assignments and tasks, the teacher sets a Due Date and a Closure Date; the teacher communicates this information to students. It is the clear expectation that students will hand in all assignments on the date due. In the occasional circumstance where a student is unable to submit a major culminating assignment on the date due, the student must discuss this matter with his or her teacher at the earliest possible date. The purpose of the three-day window of opportunity allows for a mechanism to deal with issues such as - a family issue, computer problems, work schedule, assignments for other classes, etc. - and still get the assignment in without penalty. Summative assignments recorded as zero will be taken into consideration to determine the final grade.

Students can expect the following:

• assignments submitted on the date due will be collected (e.g. Monday);
• submissions one school day after due date (e.g. Tuesday) will be collected ;
• assignments handed in two school days late (e.g. Wednesday) will be collected;
• assignments handed in three school days late (e.g. Thursday) will receive a 5% mark deduction;
• four school days after the original date (e.g. Friday) will be the ultimate deadline with a 10% mark deduction, after which time there will be no further opportunities to hand in the assignment.

This five-day window will allow students and teachers to move on to the next learning opportunity and may clearly indicate to all concerned if a student falls into a pattern that is disruptive to his or her learning. Failure to submit summative assignments will have a negative impact on the final grade.

This policy does not apply to presentations, group work, or any other assignment where the date of submission / performance is mandated by necessity. For example, group presentations must occur as scheduled with all group members in attendance; some assignments happen in two parts and teachers cannot wait for an extended period of time to move on to the second portion of the assignment. In these situations, the teacher will communicate with students about his or her expectations.

Holy Cross has the duty, as well as the authority to discipline a student for behaviour at any time and in any location while the student is under the school’s supervision. Students are ‘under supervision of the school’ from the moment they enter the bus to attend school or leave their home for school until the time they descend the bus on their way home or arrive at home at the end of the school day. The Principal’s authority reaches beyond the classroom or school campus to include the vicinity of the school or where there is a connection or nexus to the school. A student may be suspended or expelled for conduct which occurs away from Holy Cross but has a connection to the school community.

Students, parents and other interested parties can now have an electronic version of the Holy Cross Monthly Newsletter made available to them at the beginning of each month. Immediately find out what is happening at our great school and help us to reduce the amount of paper we use. This service is convenient for you and your family and good for the environment!

Note that we will take every precaution to protect the privacy of your e-mail address and we will never share it with any other party.

Sign up today by pressing the "Newsletter" button on the right or by following this link.

Students in all grades are prohibited from smoking or being in possession of tobacco or tobacco products at Holy Cross beginning September 2008. Our goal this year is to eliminate smoking entirely at Holy Cross entirely in 2008-09. The school and the KFLA Health Unit will also offer smoking cessation program early in the school year. Students will face suspension and a system of progressive discipline for failure to comply with the school’s expectation.

It is the policy of our School Board that smoking is not allowed on their property and it is a distinct expectation that all will respect this policy. We recognize that the decision to smoke is an individual one, but we sincerely hope that in light of mounting evidence with regard to the risk to our health that anyone thinking about beginning or ending “the habit” will give it serious thought. Smoking on the property will result in fines by the Health Unit’s Tobacco Enforcement Officer who regularly patrols the area.

Our school community has recently faced some tough but important discussions surrounding use of the internet as a social networking tool and how actions at home can have ramifications at school. This issue is a growing one, which neither arose out of a single incident nor will be put to rest in one fell swoop.

   Please rest assured that we take the issue of cyberbullying very seriously. No member of our community should be demeaned in this way. We appreciate the support of our parents and broader community as we help students to learn that their actions on the worldwide web reflect their characters and, collectively, reflect our school.

   As school authorities, we continue to educate, in collaboration with families and parishes, and we will also continue to implement incremental and appropriate consequences to inappropriate, offensive, defamatory and / or threatening messages. Dr. Wendy Craig, a leading local expert on bullying, will return to Holy Cross to lead a schoolwide presentation on the topic of cyberbullying. We ask parents at home and teachers in the classroom to continue discussions surrounding the importance of maintaining one’s dignity and the dignity of others at home and at school, in every medium. At school, students are only to access internet for educational purposes: sites such as Facebook, Youtube and MySpace are forbidden and MSN Messenger is not to be used. To live in Christ; to love as Christ — such is the basis of our faith, indeed, the foundation of the Holy Cross community. Let’s let our lives bear witness to our mission statement.

   A PowerPoint presentation introducing the topic of cyberbullying and focussing on the ethical and legal issues related to improper use of social networking programs was recently created by the Holy Cross Administration. Internet Explorer users click here to see this presentation. Users of other browsers click here.

To view the HCToday.ca privacy policy, please click here.