St. Joseph Secondary School first opened its doors on September 7th, 1993. At the time, the staff and students were temporarily using a building on 795 Rathburn Road East.
When our building was completed on June 18th 1996, the school moved into its permanent home on Creditview Road.
The school started off with only grade 9 classes. There were only 210 students and 17 staff members. Now the school has grown immensely with about 1,100 students ranging from grades 9-12 including PIP students and over 100 staff members.
All students were taking the same programs in grade 9 to establish a solid and well rounded education. As grades were added, students were able to choose from a range of challenging options. The school started off with the following programs:
- Mathematics, Science and Technology – Mathematics, Science and Introduction to Technology
- Languages – English and French
- Self and Society – Geography, History, Career Education, Religion, Physical Education and Keyboarding
- The Arts – Introduction to the Arts
Even in the past, St. Joe’s was a school of academic excellence. On November 5th 1993, 53 of St. Joe’s top mathematicians wrote the C.H.A.M.P Mathematics contest (this represented exactly one-quarter of the student population!). The students of St. Joe’s did extremely well. The #1 student for the school was Peter Intini (a remarkable score of 140 out of 150!)
The Founding Principle of St. Joe’s First Message
St. Joseph Secondary school was officially formed in January 1993 and we opened our doors to our first class of grade 9 the following September. It is exciting and rewarding to be a part of a new school community. We all feel the challenge and responsibility of building the school on solid traditions and enduring values. You, the students, will have a most unique experience, as the lead group all the way through your high school years, you will set the tone and standards for the thousands who will follow in your footsteps. We have great expectations for you now and in the future. May God bless each and every one of us in our journey. Remember, though, your life story will unfold one day at a time. Our challenge is simple but profound: SEIZE THE DAY.
The past students and staff of St. Joe's have set many standards for the present students so that they can follow in their footsteps making the school a peaceful and loving community for future students.