(Press release from the CECCCE.)
At its regular meeting on May 26, 2015, the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) adopted a name for the new Catholic secondary school being built in the Fernbank area of Stittsville (Ottawa). It will be called École secondaire catholique Paul Desmarais.
“The life and work of Paul Desmarais reflect the values of innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship: important values for the school community of the new secondary school,” says Bernard Roy, Director of Education at the CECCE.
Last March, the school board had asked the name selection committee to consult the school community on its preference for a name. The name selection committee included parents of the students at elementary and secondary schools in Ottawa’s west end. A survey was used to consult staff members and the parents and guardians of students registered at the new Catholic secondary school in Fernbank, including the students in Grades 6, 7 and 8 from the elementary feeder schools and students from the Collège catholique Franco-Ouest living in the area of the new secondary school.
“The school board is happy with the school community’s participation and listened to its wishes for the name of the future École secondaire catholique Paul-Desmarais,” noted Denis Poirier, school board president. “The school community has made an excellent decision in honoring this great Franco-Ontario businessperson and philanthropist.”
The students of the new École secondaire catholique Paul-Desmarais will be temporarily accommodated at the École secondaire catholique Pierre-Savard at the start of the 2015-2016 school year. This is a temporary measure until the new building opens in February 2016. A proposal will be made to school board trustees in June regarding a specialized program for the school, often called “concentration.”