Archbishop Denis O'Connor Catholic High School (abbreviated DO'C) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

high school located in

Ajax, Ontario Ajax (; 2021 Canadian census, 2021 population: 126,666) is a town in Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham Region in Southern Ontario, Canada, located in the eastern part of the Greater Toronto Area. The town is named for , a Royal Navy cruiser ...

, Canada, within the

Durham Catholic District School Board The Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB, known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 45 prior to 1999) is a Catholic school board located in Durham Region, east of Toronto, Ontario. It currently runs 39 elementary scho ...

. It is named for Archbishop

Denis T. O'Connor Denis Thomas O'Connor (26 February 1841 – 30 June 1911) was a Canadian prelate of the Catholic Church. The first member of the Congregation of St. Basil to become a bishop, he served as Bishop of London (1890-1899) and later as the first C ...

, a priest who was born in Pickering in 1841, and who became the third Archbishop of

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada in 1899. The school has students in

grades Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also r ...

9– 12 and offers a wide range of

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

and

extracurricular activities An extracurricular activity (ECA) or extra academic activity (EAA) or cultural activities is an activity, performed by students, that falls outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school, college or university education. Such activities a ...

. The current enrollment is approximately 600 students. The school colours are green and yellow, and its motto is ''Nil sine fide et labore'', which is Latin for "Nothing without faith and work." In 2014, the school celebrated the 50th anniversary of its opening in 1964.

History

Archbishop Denis O'Connor Catholic High School was founded by Father Leo J. Austin and was officially opened in September, 1964 in

Whitby, Ontario Whitby is a town in Durham Region. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region. It had a population of 138,501 at the 2021 census. It ...

. The school was moved to its new home of Ajax in 1984. On November 18, 1984, it was officially opened and blessed by Cardinal Carter. In 1991 a major addition was constructed which increased its capacity to approximately 1,000 students.''Reflections in Time - Catholic Education in Durham Region (1969-1994)'', Pickering-Ajax Digital Archive
. Retrieved 2014-01-21

Athletics

The school is home to a wide variety of athletic and academic activities. It has highly talented sports teams, such as their senior boys

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 (appr ...

team and Varsity Boys Baseball Team. The senior boys'

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team has proved to be one of the most successful teams in the Durham Region, winning five Lake Ontario Secondary School Association (LOSSA) championships in a row.

Associate Schools

The school's students generally come from the following Catholic Elementary Schools which are all located in Ajax: * St. Jude Catholic Elementary School * St. James Catholic Elementary School, * St. Francis de Sales Catholic Elementary School * St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School * Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School.

Notable alumni and groups

Devin Shore Devin Shore (born July 19, 1994) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round (61st over ...

, National Hockey League *

Paul Peschisolido Paolo Pasquale Peschisolido (born 25 May 1971), commonly known as Paul Peschisolido, is a Canadian soccer manager and former player. Peschisolido was manager of English League Two club Burton Albion from May 2009 until March 2012. A forward, Pes ...

, retired professional soccer player *

Candace Chapman Candace Marie Chapman (born 2 April 1983) is a retired Trinidad and Tobago-born, Canadian soccer player. From Ajax, Ontario, she played as a defender and was a member of the Canadian national team. She is currently a youth team national coach ...

, women's professional soccer player, member of the Canada women's national soccer team and Olympian, Olympic bronze medalist *

Toya Alexis Toya Alexis (born July 16, 1980) is a Canadian vocalist and actress from Ajax, Ontario. Career Alexis won a "Rising Star" contest and sang at the Apollo Theater. In 2001 she appeared, as LaToya Lesmond, as a contestant on season one of ''Po ...

, Canadian R&B vocalist *

Ruby Bhatia Ruby Bhatia (born November 1, 1973) is a Canadian actress, VJ, and television show host. Early life and background Bhatia was born to Canada-based Harbans and Premlata Bhatia. But she was adopted at the age of 3 years by her aunt and uncle, Prem ...

, India's first music veejay *

Keith Godding Keith Godding (born January 23, 1984, in Ajax, Ontario) is a professional Canadian football wide receiver who is currently a Free Agent. He most recently played for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was previously signed as an undr ...

, Wide Receiver, Toronto Argonauts *

Michael Kostka Michael Christopher Kostka (born November 28, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career After playing four seasons at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, he w ...

, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maples Leafs

References

External links