St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School

Canadian Catholic secondary school

St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School

Address

1045 Upper Paradise Road

Hamilton

Ontario

L9B 2N4

Canada

Coordinates| 43°12′49″N 79°55′09″W﻿ / ﻿43.21367°N 79.91924°W﻿ / 43.21367; -79.91924
Information
School type| Public, separate secondary school
Motto| Praestantia Scholastica, Praestantia Religiosa, Praestantia Athletica
(Scholastic excellence, religious excellence, athletic excellence)
Religious affiliation(s)| Catholic
Opened| September 1972; 52 years ago (1972-09)
School board| Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board
Superintendent| Toni Kovach
Area trustee| John Valvasori[1]
School number| 855685[2]
Principal| Brian Daly
Chaplain| Maciej Blok
Grades| 9–12
Enrolment| 2,055 (2020)
Colour(s)|  Black and gold
Mascot| Tommy the Knight
Website| Official website

St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School is a Catholic secondary school located in Hamilton. It is a part of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board and is located on the west side of the Hamilton Mountain. It serves the south-west of Hamilton as well as parts of Glanbrook and Ancaster.

It is the largest school in Hamilton, holding over 2,250 students and graduates approximately 400 students each year, with around 90% of graduates going on to pursue post-secondary education. The school's 200 member staff are involved in numerous activities, sports and associations.

## Athletics

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The school prides itself on its athletics as it has over 70 teams that have each won a championship at least once in the school's history. The biggest teams are the football, basketball, hockey, track and field, baseball and soccer teams. STM also has many teams and clubs not found in most schools, like girls' hockey and slo-pitch teams as well as field hockey teams and rugby sevens.[3]

## Uniforms

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St. Thomas More's school colours are black and gold. The school has strict rules and consequences for violations in school dress code.[4] There are some exceptional days (during an important game, celebration or holiday), where students can wear specially designed "spirit wear".[5] Designs ranging from clothes representing school clubs and teams to clothes featuring the school mascot (STM Knights).

Overhead view of main athletic field at STM.

## Sports

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### Football

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St. Thomas More has one of the most prominent and highly decorated football programs in Ontario and Canada. Having won for their first ever junior championship in 1975 and their first ever senior championship in 1984. The Knights have won 13 total junior championships (1975, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021) and 13 total senior varsity league championships (1984, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021). The Senior Knights are consistently among the highest ranked football teams in Canada. They have also won 7 OFSAA Bowl Championships (2006, 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).[6]

In 2007, 2017, 2018, and 2019 they were ranked the #1 high school football team in Canada and became the first school to ever be ranked #1 in Canada three years in a row, never losing their #1 rank in that entire span.[7]

### Girls' basketball

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St. Thomas More is a long-standing, provincial power in girls' basketball at the senior varsity level. The program has won league titles in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2013 and 2014 as well as capturing 4 OFSAA "AAAA" gold medals in 2004, 2011, 2012, 2013. Their long-time, main league rival is St. Mary CSS, who is also considered to be an elite level program with multiple OFSAA titles.

## Notable alumni

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* Nicole Arbour – comedian, actress, and YouTuber
* Ian Bennett – professional indoor soccer player
* David Braid – jazz pianist and composer
* Ben Chiarot \- NHL Player
* Michael Chris-Ike – CFL running back, Winnipeg Blue Bombers[8]
* Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
* Robert Heppenstall \- track & field athlete
* Colin Jenkins – Canadian Olympian 2008 Olympic Games Triathlon
* Ashley Leggat – actress
* Brent Monson[9] – Calgary Stampeders defensive coordinator
* Darnell Nurse – Edmonton Oilers
* Kia Nurse – Canada women's national basketball team
* Ryan Raposo – soccer player for the Vancouver Whitecaps
* Anthony Romaniw – Canadian Olympian (800m)
* Alena Sharp – LPGA Tour

## See also

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* Education in Ontario
* List of secondary schools in Ontario

## References

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1. ^ "Contact Us". stm.hwcdsb.ca. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
2. ^ "St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School (855685)". August 11, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
3. ^ "Championships & Medals".
4. ^ http://stm.hwcdsb.ca/school/uniforms/?fileID=15171 [bare URL PDF]
5. ^ http://stm.hwcdsb.ca/school/uniforms/?fileID=15171 [bare URL PDF]
6. ^ "Football - Past Champions old". docs.google.com. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
7. ^ "CFC50 2018 High School RANKINGS (FINAL): STM claims top spot for 2nd year, B.C crowns their champion – CanadaFootballChat.com". Retrieved December 30, 2018.
8. ^ Newman, Mark (October 25, 2017). "Michael Chris-Ike tearing up the gridiron". thespec.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
9. ^ "Calgary Stampeders' Defensive Coordinator Brent Monson proves his roots are still showing | CEKAN". June 25, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2024.

## External links

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* Official website