Photos: St. Peter's and Holy Cross Secondary School Unite For Terry Fox Rally Fundraiser For Cancer Research

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Roughly over 1,800 students and faculty from St. Peter’s Secondary School (SPSS) and Holy Cross Secondary School (HCSS) came together to walk for the Terry Fox Rally to raise money for cancer research on Thursday morning.

Both institutions walked in a circuit, starting from St. Peter’s on Medical Drive before convening at the school’s football field.

“To see the love and the effort here to support such a cause in Terry Fox, I know that cancer has affected each of our lives so to be here today and to have the energy, it's such a beautiful feeling,” said Natalie Bittner, HCSS principal.

HCSS aimed to raise $15,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation. Their most significant fundraising method was selling dress-down tickets to allow students to dress casually rather than in their uniforms for a week. The school did face painting and nail decorations and sold Terry Fox apparel to help with the fundraiser.

SPSS had a more ambitious goal of $70,000. Students registered with the Terry Fox website to raise money independently. They also had dress-down days and ran community events to raise funds.

“Last year, we finished third overall in Canada for raising the most,” said Shannon Brady, SPSS principal. “Last year, we raised $60,000 so we’re bumping it up to $70,000 this year.”

All proceeds from the snack and concession stands —sold by both schools on-site — went towards the schools’s respective fundraiser totals.

The two schools also held their annual football game against each other, with both the junior and senior teams playing, following the walk in the afternoon. The game is known as the ‘Catholic Bowl’ or ‘Holy Bowl.’ since it is the city’s only two Catholic high schools. It started in 2003 when Holy Cross began its inaugural football program.

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Hometown PTBO: SPSS Student-Athlete Valedictorian Grace Murphy About Her Sports Tenure with SPSS and Going to Queen's University

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This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with SPSS student Grace Murphy about her athletic tenure with the school, her affiliation with the Electric City Football Club and her goals as she sets off to Queen's University in Kingston.

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SPSS Student Amelia Williams Takes Her Next Hockey Step By Committing To Sault College

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The hockey life continues for 17-year-old St. Peter’s Secondary School (SPSS) student Amelia Williams has committed to the Sault College Cougars in Sault Ste. Marie to play hockey in September in a contract signing on Tuesday morning.

(from left to right) Mike WIlliams, father; Rocco Williams, brother; Amelia Williams, Clara Williams, sister and Rebecca WIlliams, mother at the signing held at the SPSS gym. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The defenceman says Sault College was one of the few schools that offered a hockey program in the province and she jumped at the opportunity when she found out she was recruited.

“If I wanted to continue to play hockey, this was my only opportunity to,” explained Williams.

She is graduating from SPSS this summer and will move to Sault Ste. Marie around August. Williams says she’s excited but is surreal that she’ll be going through a major lifestyle change over the summer.

“It's crazy that I'm graduating and moving away,” she explained. “I wasn't expecting to go away but this opportunity just came and I'm really excited.”

Williams has been playing hockey since she was in grade two. She’s won a Kawartha AAA High School Girls hockey championship and COSSA championship with SPSS in 2019.

She’s also been a member of the Peterborough Ice Kats AA U18 team for the last two seasons. She finished this season with two goals and seven assists in 52 games as the team’s top-scoring defenseman.

Williams will take electrical engineering at Sault College and either wants to play professional hockey or become an electrician after graduation from post-secondary education.

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Saints Edge Griffins In Fifth-Place Match 7-6 In OFSAA Boys Field Lacrosse Championships

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The St. Peter’s Saints (SPSS) led once all game but it was enough for a comeback 7-6 win and fifth place over the host Thomas A. Stewart Griffins (TASSS) in the OFSAA Boys Field Lacrosse Championships on Tuesday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The Griffins came out to a 3-0 start in the first quarter, getting an early lead over the COSSA Champion Saints. They battled back to cut the deficit by one to make it a Griffins 3-2 lead but TASSS pulled away with a goal to make it 4-2 into the first half. Jeff Ralph, Griffins’ head coach knew that any lead against the Saints having played them before is never safe.

“We’ve been up against them before. We knew it was going to be a full 60 minutes to get the win against these guys,” he explained.

The Griffins kept their foot on the gas pedal, quickly scoring in the third quarter to restore their three-goal lead, 5-2. At this point, TASSS had dominated in time of possession and shots on goal.

St. Peter’s displayed their resilience and battled back with three goals to make it a 5-5 game.

“Lacrosse is a game of runs, “ explained Rod Willis, Saints head coach. “You might go on a three or four-goal run so we had to be patient, wait until it came and really take advantage of the situation.”

Both teams had traded goals halfway through the fourth quarter with a 6-6 tie, including a game-tying score from Hayden Addison for the Saints.

With just 6:30 left, Addison scored again to give St. Peter’s the first lead of the game. TASSS pressured hard to try and tie the game. With under a minute left in the game, they had a chance to tie it from a high-scoring chance but Saints goaltender Geordy Addison made a clutch save and St. Peter’s was able to run out the clock for a 7-6 win.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Both coaches had respect for their respective Peterborough school counterparts.

“All the credit to them, they have a great team,” said Ralph. “They're very well-coached with Rod McGillis in his last high school game.”

“They're very well-coached,” said McGillis. “They have a couple very, very good players and on offense, a good offense. It's hard to stop. It takes a lot of character and a lot of patience and skill to get back into that game.”

McGills has announced his retirement from coaching following the game.

Both teams had won their first game on championship day in order to play each other for fifth place. The Saints beat the Denis Morris Reds based out of St. Catherines 11-9. The Griffins took down the Neil McNeil Maroons from Scarborough, 8-6.

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Peterborough Teams Split Games In OFSAA Field Lacrosse Championship, Teams Aim for Consolation Championship Tuesday

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St. Peter’s Secondary School Saints (SPSS) and Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School Griffins (TASSS) will have to compete for the consolation championship as both teams had a split record of 1-1 during the round-robin portion of the OFSAA Field Lacrosse AAA Championship on Monday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Both teams had great starts to the championship.

COSSA champions SPSS defeated the Mayfield Mavericks 14-2 in the tournament’s opening contest at TASSS’s field.

“We came lights-out ready and we were a stronger team,” said Rod McGillis, Saints head coach. “We played well, it was a good game for us to work on our plays and get ready for game two.”

Host school TASSS had coasted their way to a win in this first game against Sacred Heart Crusaders with a 14-7 win. The Griffins had let in the first two goals before going on a six-point streak to run away with the contest.

Roughly over 250 students were in attendance at this game during school time to watch and cheer on the Griffins.

“We had the school community out here, the vibes were good and our big dogs stepped up today,” said Jeff Ralph, Griffins head coach. “That's what you need to do in a big tournament like this, you have to rely on your best players.”

Both teams ran into snags in their second and final round-robin games. Wins would propel them into the semifinals but losses would send them down to the consolation championships.

The Saints had lost a close game to the Wellington Falcons after failing to find the back of the net despite multiple scoring chances in the fourth quarter. SPSS fell 11-8 and would have to compete for fifth place on Tuesday.

“You have to give them credit, they're very well-coached, they're disciplined, they play the way we do,” said Gillis. “They did all the things right, they were a really tough opponent and you have to give them credit.”

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

TASSS was the last game of Monday but they fell to the Brooklin Bears 12-9 after falling behind early with a five-goal deficit. They attempted to mount a comeback in the second half getting as close with a three-goal deficit but just fell short.

“I was proud of the boys,” said Ralph. “We played Brooklin earlier in the season in the Trent tournament. We lost by a goal and it was a battle. We knew what were getting into today, the boys looked a little down early, we called a timeout, regrouped, picked their heads back up and we bounced back in the second half.”

Both teams have won their day-two games and will compete against each other for fifth place at TASSS at 2 p.m.

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St. Peter CSS Returns To the Showplace Stage With 'GREASE: The Musical'

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St. Peter Catholic Secondary School is set to return to the Showplace Performance Centre with the production of GREASE The Musical starting Feb. 15.

For the first time since 2018, St. Peter’s is taking the Showplace stage with Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s GREASE The Musical, running performances until Feb. 18.

The production includes close to 200 students and staff within the school community, and is directed by drama teacher and arts chair Paul Crough. St. Peter’s staff Jennifer Riel (choreographer), James Wright (music director) and Dyanne McDonald (stage manager) are among the production crew as well.

“It’s always an exciting time, we have students from Grade 9 through 12 in the musical. The part that I love about the whole experience that the audience doesn’t get to see is the process,” said Crough. “We have students who have never sung publicly in front of someone, and they’re terrified at auditions, and we witness the growth that takes place within their confidence with a like-minded group.”

Cast leads include Ryan Forsyth as Danny and Macayla Vaughan as Sandy. The two say they are excited to see the production come to fruition with all of the hard work going on behind the scenes.

“This is a dream role of mine, and as the first and last show I get to be a part of with this school, it is something special,” said Vaughan.

General admission tickets are $28.50 plus fees and are available for purchase at the Showplace Performance Centre box office (290 George St. N) or online.

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Local St. Peter's Secondary School Student Signs Commitment to Virginia Women's Hockey Program

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Lynchburg, Va. is the next stop for 18-year-old St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School (SPCSS) student Ava Flint this September as she signed a commitment to Liberty University and their hockey program on Monday.

Ava Flint (middle) fresh off signing her commitment to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. with her sisters Rhaea Flint (left) and Talia Flint (right) and her parents. She will be attending the university for the 2023-24 school year in September. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The signing was made at the SPCSS gymnasium in front of Flint’s family, friends and coaches.

“It's really overwhelming, it's been a long time coming,” explained Flint. “I've been playing hockey my whole life and this is what I always wanted to do, is go to university and play hockey.”

Flint has been playing hockey since she was three years old. She has played with the Central York Junior Panthers of the Ontario Women’s Hockey League for the past two seasons. She was a member of the Peterborough Novice Ice Kats up until Midget. In her final year (Midget) as an Ice Kat, she scored 13 goals and 17 assists in 59 games.

She plans to enroll in the University’s education program with being a physical education teacher as a possibility. She visited the campus in the fall and felt it was the best place to continue the educational and hockey phases of her life.

“I met with their team, all the players seem wonderful and I just think it'll be a great place to start my new pathway and I think it fits what's best for me,” explained Flint.

Flint is currently enrolled at SPCSS in Grade 12 on her victory lap.

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Phoney Sale of St. Peter's Secondary School Posted on Kijiji Taken Down

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A fake listing of the St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School property for $1.7 million on Kijiji was taken down on Wednesday.

Screenshot.

The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board (PVNCCDSB) was successful in having the post removed after issuing a complaint. The $1.7 million cost of the property was highly undervalued according to a PVNCCDSB Tweet.

An open house was listed in the description scheduled for next week.

The board urged the public not to call about the sale despite only receiving one call from a local realtor.

The unknown Kijiji account has been suspended as a result of the fake listing.

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St. Peter's Catholic Secondary School No. 1 Locally In Fraser Institute Report Card

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In the Fraser Institute's Annual Report Card released on Ontario's secondary schools, St. Peter Catholic Secondary School is No. 1 locally in the academic rankings, with a rating of 7 out of 10, putting it 222 nationally out of 740 schools ranked.

Crestwood and Adam Scott each scored a 6.7 rating, followed by Thomas A. Stewart at 6.6, Holy Cross at 5.9, and Kenner at 4.8.

The rankings are decided by math and literacy testing among Grade 9 students.

View the detailed report here.

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UPDATED: Peterborough Police Investigating "Threat Of Violence" Against A St. Peter's School

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UPDATE: November 24th, 2014  A 14-year-old St. Peter's student has been arrested and charged with mischief and false messages... The full police release...

Special Media Release for Monday November 24, 2014
 
On November 22, 2014 the Peterborough Lakefield Community Police Service was alerted to an anonymous posting on a social media website, ask.fm, indicating there was going to be a shooting at SPSS on Monday.  The posting did not specify St. Peter Catholic Secondary School in Peterborough or the specific date or time. The posting was circulated to some St. Peter Catholic Secondary School students in Peterborough asking, “Are you going to school?”

As a result of this information our Service began an intensive investigation in co-operation with staff at the Peterborough, Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board. From the beginning of this investigation it was believed this posting was a possible hoax. In consultation with the School Board it was determined that a notification be sent out to staff, students and parents advising of a potential threat for violence and that the school would remain open with an increased police presence.

Regardless of the fact that this was believed to be a possible hoax, The Peterborough Lakefield Community Police Service does not accept these types of threats as a mere prank. Extensive resources were used to investigate this posting which caused a public safety concern and ultimately disrupted school activities for the day.

Over the last 24 hours our Service worked closely with police agencies in Europe to identify the subscriber information attached to the anonymous post.

As a result of the investigation, a 14 year old male, who attends St. Peter Catholic Secondary School, has been arrested and charged with mischief and false messages. Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act the name of a young offender cannot be released.
 
The School will be working on its own appropriate disciplinary consequences following this incident.
 
Both the Police Service and the Board encourage students to report any suspicious or concerning social media posts to their parents or a responsible adult in order for a full investigation to be completed and to ensure the safety of the citizens in our community.

Police also remind those who are active on social media that ultimately you are not anonymous and there are avenues the police can pursue as well as avenues that criminals can pursue to determine your identity

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ORIGINAL POST:

St. Peter's Principal Sherry Davis has posted an alert to the St. Peter's Catholic Secondary School website notifying staff, students and parents that police are currently investigating a "threat of violence at a St. Peter's school that was posted on a social media site." In the alert, Davis says the investigation so far "indicates that the IP address for the posting originated in Latvia and Peterborough was not specifically identified" but the "safety and well-being of our students and staff is paramount and we take such threats seriously." The police will be at the school Monday (November 24th) as they continue to investigate whether the threat is real or a prank. Read the principal's letter in its entirety below...

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