WCR This Week

EDMONTON – After naming its new schools for local Catholic personalities in recent years, Edmonton Catholic Schools will turn to a mix of the local and traditional in school names when a batch of newly-approved schools open in 2016.

"We do not have any set policy," says Lori Nagy, Edmonton Catholic Schools Manager of Media and Community Relations.

"When we are looking for names we post information on our district website asking people to send in their submission, there is a deadline date and the board will review those names. Of course, the archbishop is also involved."

In recent years, the school district has named schools after local Catholics such as Sister Annata Brockman, Msgr. Fee Otterson, Msgr. Bill Irwin and Archbishop Joseph MacNeil.

St. Thomas Aquinas

However, the next round of new schools will be given traditional names such as Christ the King, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John XXIII and Corpus Christi. Others will be named after local Catholics Ukrainian Bishop David Motiuk and the recently-deceased school chaplain Father Michael Mireau.

The schools will receive their new names when they open in September 2016.

The funded capital projects include:

• Bishop David Motiuk Elementary/Junior High School (Webber Greens);
• Christ the King Elementary/Junior High School (McConachie);
• Collegiate school for science, technology and the trades in partnership with (NAIT) Grade 9 to 12 (no name announced yet);
• Corpus Christi Elementary/Junior High School (Walker);
• Father Michael Mireau Elementary/Junior High School (Summerside);
• Holy Trinity High School Expansion Project;
• St. Brendan Replacement School (Ottewell);
• St. John XXIII Elementary/Junior High School (Windermere);
• St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary/Junior High School (Heritage Valley).