St. Thomas More Collegiate
| St. Thomas More Collegiate (STMC) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
|
7450 12th Ave. Burnaby, British Columbia, V3N 2K1 Canada | |
| Coordinates | 49°12′55″N 122°56′18″W / 49.2153°N 122.9384°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Independent |
| Motto | "Scientia per fidem - Knowledge through faith" |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Founded | 1960 |
| School board | STMC Ltd. Board of Directors |
| President | Mrs. Neysa Finnie |
| Principal | Mr. Steve Garland |
| Grades | 8-12 |
| Enrollment | ~675 |
| Language | English |
| Area | Edmonds |
| Colour(s) | Red, White and Black |
| Team name | Knights |
| Website |
www |
St. Thomas More Collegiate or STMC is an independent private school located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
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 "Knights", with the team colours of Red, White and Black.
History
In 1957, negotiations between Most Rev. Martin Michael Johnson, Coadjutor Archbishop of Vancouver, and Rev. Brother A.A. Loftus, Provincial Superior of the Congregation of Christian Brothers in North America, to help build a Catholic high school in the city of Burnaby / New Westminster.
Saint Thomas More Collegiate opened its doors in September 1960, with 110 students enrolled in grades 7, 8 and 9. Over the years enrollment and staff grew as did the facilities. Major construction was carried out in 1966, 1978, 1981, 1984, and with the introduction of co-education in 1998.
Independent school status
St. Thomas More Collegiate 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.[1] The school operates as an independent Catholic school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver.
2009-2013 Revitalization
The school started phase 1 of its revitalization plan in the summer of 2009 and it was completed in May 2010. The new Fine Arts Wing contains four new classrooms, two specialty classrooms for Band and Choir, a student courtyard, and renovations to the school kitchen, administration areas and existing classrooms. After raising over $6.2 million, in 2013 a new state-of-the-art double gymnasium.
Academic performance
St. Thomas More Collegiate is ranked by the Fraser Institute. In 2015, it was ranked 26th out of 294 schools in British Columbia.[2]
The St. Thomas More Collegiate curriculum is based on the “Knights’ Compass", consists of a cross with a different field of education at each of the four ends, with Faith in the center. The outer fields are: Academics, Athletics, Arts, and Sciences.
Athletic performance
The sports teams in the STMC athletic program are known as the "Knights."
STMC is considered to be one of the finest secondary schools in the country, in terms of athletics. They especially have a reputation for producing elite athletes in football, basketball, wrestling, track & field, swimming and occasionally, lacrosse. Many STMC athletes have moved on to post-secondary institutions under athletic scholarships and participated at the collegiate, minor and professional levels. Many of the alumni coaches and trainers are former professional athletes themselves.
- (post 1975) Frank Gnup AAA Provincial Championships: Won 3 of 6 appearances[3] The STMC Football team and the STMC Basketball teams are really well coached. STMC has good rivals Vancouver College and Notre Dame in these sports
Both the Varsity Boys and Girls basketball teams participate in the BC Catholic Basketball Championship, one of the largest tournaments in the province of BC.
| School Teams |
|---|
| Soccer |
| Volleyball |
| Track & Field |
| Basketball |
| Cross country running |
| Wrestling |
| Ultimate Frisbee |
| Lacrosse |
| Tennis |
| Golf |
| Curling |
| Swimming |
Artistic performance
Despite having earned a reputation as a "jock-oriented" school, it is also recognized for its academic program and its fine and performing arts programs which include instrumental and choral music, vocal jazz, drama, visual arts, and media arts. This program is one of the finest in Canada.
Clubs & committees
With more than 20 clubs, STMC offers a wide variety of clubs and extracurricular activities. Student council organizes many school events such as dances, pep rallies, fundraisers etc.
Notable alumni
- Tyson Craiggs - Former professional football player for the CFL's British Columbia Lions
- Jon Cornish - professional football player for the CFL's Calgary Stampeders
- Calvin McCarty - professional football player for the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos
- Adam Krajewski—Former professional football player for the Canadian Football League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- David Sylvester (academic)- President and Vice Chancellor of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto
- Kyle Turris - professional hockey player for the NHL's Nashville Predators.[4]
- Kris Chucko - professional hockey player for the NHL's Calgary Flames
- Brett Kelly - Has been in several movies, most notably: Bad Santa.
- A.J. Buckley - Actor best known for playing the part of Adam Ross on the hit crime drama CSI: NY and Seal Team.
- Curtis Hodgson - professional lacrosse player for the New Westminster Salmonbellies and the Washington Stealth of the NLL.
- Richard Stewart- former British Columbia MLA and currently the Mayor of Coquitlam, British Columbia.
Notes
In the 1990s, criminal proceedings began against members of the Christian Brothers, several of whom were teaching at STMC. The proceedings were based on allegations of sexual and physical abuse against students at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland. The subsequent lawsuits by victims of the Christian Brothers organization, threatened to close the school in 2002.[5]