The school educates 1,002 students as of the 2016–17 academic year, and it is ranked 331 out of 725 schools in the Fraser Institute report card.[1] Its motto is Minds to Reason, Hands to Work, Hearts for God.
Previously, the school was named after Jean Vanier, the founder of L'Arche in 1964. The school was renamed in July 2020 in honor of St. Joan of Arc after posthumous sexual abuse allegations against Vanier.[2]
The original school on the property, Tabor Park Vocational School, was built in 1964 and established by the Scarborough Board of Education in September 1965 as a less academically challenged high school. However, Tabor Park closed in 1986 due to low enrollment. As a result of public funding of Catholic high schools, in May 1988, the SBE leased the Tabor Park property, which was reopened and named after Jean Vanier, the Canadian philosopher and founder of L'Arche, to serve the rest of Scarborough.
St. Joan of Arc Catholic Academy (2020-present)
An internal report by L'Arche in February 2020 concluded that Jean Vanier had engaged in "manipulative and emotionally abusive" sexual relationships with six women in Trosly-Breuil, France between 1970 and 2005.[3][4][5] A Change.org petition set up by a former student called for Jean Vanier's name to be removed.[6]
At a school board meeting on July 16, 2020, the TCDSB recommended the name St. Joan of Arc Catholic Academy starting in the 2020–21 school year.[2][7][8] The school formally completed its renaming at the end of August 2020. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting Toronto, the school reopened under its new name the following September.
The current emblem retains the cross from the previous Vanier insignia now sporting a fleur-de-lis with a sword standing in the centre.
Overview
The school has a large athletic field found in most regular public high schools, but usually unavailable with purpose built Catholic high Schools. The design of the former Tabor Park school consists of brown bricks and overall structure in the middle where the quadrangle/courtyard stands. The two catwalks along with 20 new academic classrooms, a seminar work room, and an exercise room was eventually added in 1991 to expand enrolment.[9] as well as black cross was retrofitted in the centre.[10] Other features in the leased 126,241sq. ft. facility include 28 academic classrooms, two automotive shops, four state-of-the-art science labs, three computer labs, two Mac labs, a visual arts studio, cafetorium, library, expanded ME/DD classroom, a double gymnasia that can be split into two, a drama room, two music rooms, a photography room, guidance area, a recently renovated home economics room and a chapel.
Arts
On March 6, 2014, Vanier was selected for the MusiCounts Band Aid Grant program costing at $600,000. The school received their $10,000 in equipment for the drum line program such as the marimba and a complete set of cymbals.[11][12] The guests were Juno Award-winning musicians Classified and David Myles who also performed their single Inner Ninja live in front of 300 students.[12]
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