Académie Ste. Cécile International School, commonly referred to as ASCIS or Ste. Cécile, is a

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

located in the South Windsor neighbourhood of

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

, Canada. The school was opened in 1993 by Therese Gadoury as Académie Ste. Cécile Private School (ASCPS). Despite the school's French name, it has been an English school since inception. In 1997, the school underwent a name change to Académie Ste. Cécile International School. The school places an emphasis on music, with all students required to learn an instrument, and the school is therefore named after

Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia (), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the ...

, the patron saint of music. The primary campus of the school consists of an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

from kindergarten to grade 8, in addition to a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

. Each has a student population of approximately 300. The school is also linked with a

music school A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...

dance school A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose. Overview A dance studio normally includes a smooth floor covering or, if used ...

nursery school A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin c ...

, and school for those with special needs. The school also offers both

International Baccalaureate (IB) The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB ...

and

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...

(AP) programs, including it within a handful of Windsor schools that offer these programs. The school includes both local and boarding students, with

international student International students or exchange students, also known as foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their secondary or tertiary education in a country other than their own. In 2022, there were over 6.9 million international ...

s primarily coming from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, who live at the school for the duration of their studies.

History

The music school and

dance studio A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose. Overview A dance studio normally includes a smooth floor covering or, if used ...

were opened in 1979 by Therese Gadoury, and expanded a year later to include a nursery school. Gadoury remains the director of the school today. In 1984, a second

location was constructed in South Windsor, although not at the site of the current elementary & secondary school. The school was opened in 1993 in Tecumseh, on the site of the original music school. In 1995, the school moved to a new campus in South Windsor, on the site of the former Holy Redeemer Seminary. In 1996, the school became associated with the

University of Windsor The University of Windsor (UWindsor, U of W, or UWin) is a public university, public research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has approximately 17,500 students. The university was incorporated by ...

, allowing school students to access university libraries and computer networks. The school also received

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the I ...

Certification, allowing instruction in IB courses. In 2004, the school finished construction of a new 27,000 square foot building to house its elementary school. In 2005, it built a new wing of the school named for

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, who died that year. In 2010, it began construction of three residence to house international students, both short-term and long-term. In 2012, it completed an NBA regulation size gym in addition to an outside track with an

artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...

field. In 2014, it completed an expansion of the elementary school by extending an existing wing to add four more classrooms. In 2015, it began construction of an auditorium and new facilities to house the music and dance school.

Campus

The school is located at the southern reach of South Windsor, bordering Cousineau Road in the front and the Herb Gray Parkway on the south. A Catholic elementary school and

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, sits just down the road. St. Clair College is on Highway 3, just minutes away from the school. The rear of the campus features an

athletic field A pitch or a sports ground is an outdoor playing area for various sports. The term ''pitch'' is most commonly used in British English, while the comparable term in Australian, American and Canadian English is playing field or sports field. For mo ...

and an

oval track Oval track racing is a form of motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traffic is almost univ ...

. The school also has two

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

s, with one being an NBA-regulation size gym and the other being approximately half the size. They are adjoined by a

weight room Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve physical strength. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate techniques such as bodyweight exercises (e ...

and workout room. The school also has a moderately sized

cafeteria A cafeteria, called canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether in a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a scho ...

and a

computer lab A computer lab is a space where computer services are provided to a defined community. These are typically public libraries and academic institutions. Generally, users must follow a certain user policy to retain access to the computers. This usua ...

. There are also specialized facilities including art studios and halls/practice rooms for music. The school also adjoins an

and three

residences A residence is a place (normally a building) used as a home or dwelling, where people reside. Residence or The Residence may also refer to: * Domicile (law), a legal term for residence * Habitual residence, a civil law term dealing with the s ...

for

Curriculum

St. Cecile operates on an 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. full-year schedule, with the school year normally running from mid-August to early June. This is distinct from other schools in Canada which traditionally begin school after Labour Day and finish near the end of June. The day is divided into six instructional periods of an hour each and a lunch of 40 minutes.

Enrollment

In the 2016–2017 school year, St. Cecile had an enrollment of approximately 400 students divided equally between the elementary and secondary school. With 50 faculty members, the student-faculty ratio of the school is 8:1. Including international students, the student population of the secondary school and elementary school is very diverse.

Programs

The school is best known for its

academics Academic means of or related to an academy, an institution learning. Academic or academics may also refer to: * Academic staff, or faculty, teachers or research staff * school of philosophers associated with the Platonic Academy in ancient Greece ...

and is able to offer smaller class size than public schools due to the tuition costs, with classes having a maximum size of 15 students. All classes are offered at the academic level, with additional courses being available for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate requirements. The school is unique in Windsor in offering both the Advanced Placement program and the International Baccalaureate program. The school's main local competitors academically are Vincent Massey Secondary School with its

("Enriched") programme, and

Assumption College School Assumption College Catholic High School is a Catholic secondary school in Windsor, Ontario. The school was originally established as a private preparatory school by Assumption College, now Assumption University, but it is now a publicly-funded sep ...

which also offers

. The school is primarily focused on

STEM Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

fields, especially

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

and

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

. It has previously done well on the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

's CEMC-administered math contests such as several perfect scores in the past. The school does not have any vocational or skills-based education.

International Students

The school has over 110

s for the entire school year, originating mainly in

and

. Full year international students pay $49,300 for tuition, boarding, and meals. Many Mexican students also study at the school for 6-month periods, while students from

and

also come to study for short periods (several weeks). The majority of Mexican students are from Instituto Technologico y de Esutios Superiores de Monterrey's high school affiliate, who study as part of their multicultural program to learn English. The students live in the school's residences for the duration of their stay at the school.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The school offers 9

varsity sports A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At high schools ...

for both males and females, including

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

, and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

. Due to its small size, the school fields teams within Tier III of WECSAA, the bottom tier. Individual and dual sports operate in a single league irrespective of enrollment. The school has, however, invested heavily in its facilities and now includes an NBA regulation size gym with an elevated track, in addition to an exterior track with an artificial turf field. The school has previously hosted

OFSAA The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) is an organization of student-athletes, teacher-coaches, student-coaches, teachers, principals, and sport administrators in Ontario, Canada. OFSAA is the second largest high school ath ...

events in its facilities due to their high capacity. Participation in sports is approximately 70% of the student population, with many students playing multiple sports due to the very low student population. The top athletes of the year, both male and female and decided upon by coaches, are awarded a plaque at the end of the year. The school's tennis and badminton teams are among their most competitive. The tennis team has previously reached the finals at OFSAA in ladies' doubles as well as winning SWOSSAA in men's doubles. The school's

team is one of the most competitive sports due to the sport's popularity among the primarily Asian

s. The school reached SWOSAA finals in 2017.

Contact Sports

The school does not allow contact sports, thus the school does not have an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

, or

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

team.

Other Extracurriculars

Band

Due to the school's size, Ste. Cécile's band program consists of just two bands - the high school

concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind instrument, woodwind, brass ...

and the

jazz band A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ho ...

. The elementary school also fields a concert band and wind ensemble.

Debate

The school's debate club has performed well in local competitions, reaching the finals in 2017. Prior to that, two former students, Mark Laschuck and Paul Istasy won the local Vincent Massey debate competition in 2014 while receiving the 2nd and 3rd best speaker awards respectively.

Student Council

The school has a student council, consisting of the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the Secretary, and two further executive members. There is also one representative for each junior grade (9th and 10th grade), and two for each senior grade (11th and 12th grade). The student council is responsible for organizing a variety of events, including student dances,

pep rallies A pep rally, pep assembly or pep session is a gathering of people, typically students of middle school, high school, and college age, before a school sporting event. The purpose of such a gathering is to encourage school spirit and to support m ...

, and fundraisers.

Clubs

The school competes in the Science Olympics competition at the

and also has a math club.

Outreach Programs

The school places an emphasis on fundraisers for disadvantaged persons given that the school's tuition results in students being from high socioeconomic classes. The elementary and secondary schools have held coordinated can drives for 15 years, and raised 10,000 cans of food in the 2016–17 school year.

Awards and Recognitions

The school's club and teams have received various awards in the past. As well, past students have received Schulich Scholarships valued at $80,000. The school's student have also done well at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair, with three students having attended and won grand award and special award prizes. Grade 11 and 12 History and Geography students were also awarded the 2018 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Youth Achievement for their work in creating a digital map of Essex's Lost African-Canadian Cemeteries.

Notable alumni

* Alex Deans - Youth inventor and public speaker at We Day and the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair * Amelia Daigle - Mezzo-soprano opera singer and first-place winner at the National Music Festival

References

{{reflist International schools in Ontario Private schools in Ontario Roman Catholic schools in Ontario 1993 establishments in Ontario Elementary schools in Windsor, Ontario High schools in Windsor, Ontario Educational institutions established in 1993