The fourth Catholic High School began operation in an Eldale relocatable structure on Sixteenth Avenue, Markham, in September, 1985. Some 212 students, 15 teachers and support staff, together with Principal Blair Day entered into the creation of a vibrant Catholic school community for students from Markham, Unionville and Stouffville.
In four short years of population explosion, the school population ran up to over 1500 pupils and at times has been over 2500 pupils. Yet the school community managed this growth with reasonable grace and equanimity.
The permanent school building opened for operation in the fall of 1988. However, due to continued excessive enrolment, the planned removal of the relocatable school building never occurred – it has become a permanent fixture of our school and is currently known as the North Building. Present enrolment is just under 1500, served by a staff of over 100.
Gerald Emmett Cardinal Carter officially blessed the new school on December 12, 1989.
The school patron, Saint Brother André, was born in Saint-Gregoire, Quebec on August 9, 1845. Throughout his life he had a particular devotion to Saint Joseph which eventually led to the construction of Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal. He died in 1937 and was canonized in 2010 – upon Sainthood – our school’s name was officially changed to Saint Brother André. The school is honoured by his patronage.
The school colours are red, blue and gold. School teams are the Cardinals. An impressive array of teams has represented this school in York Region and beyond including last year’s York Region Championship Swim Team and Girl’s Field Hockey Teams, OFSAA finalists in Track and Field, and our OFSAA winning Senior Boys Hockey Team. The school motto “in lumine tuo”, is taken from Psalm 36, verse 9, “For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light.” The combination of respect, honesty, integrity, and determination is a cornerstone of our athletics program as well as our academic program.
The Mission of Saint Brother André Catholic High School, as a diverse Catholic family, is to educate each student in a Christ-centered environment to reach full potential in a rapidly changing world through Gospel-inspired learning experience, in partnership with home, church and community.
Over the years, we have seen St Brother André students become research scientists, doctors, lawyers, missionaries, professional athletes, to name but a few – today we acknowledge the hundreds of hours of dedication that our students have put into their studies to help them become better prepared to be our future leaders. Congratulations to all students and to their families for their outstanding accomplishments!