ALGONQUIN AND LAKESHORE CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
HC & NCC announce new nicknames

The Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board is excited to announce that new nicknames have been selected for Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School and Nicholson Catholic College.

Both schools have recently undertaken a process to select a new nickname for the school, and the results are in!

Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School, Kingston

Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School is pleased to announce their new nickname, the Holy Cross Saints.  

"Saints best represents that we are a Catholic school," said Olivia Moniz, student at Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School.

"Holy Cross' new nickname, "Saints," is rich with imagery and can be integrated into our school's culture in countless ways," said Nick Cotman, Chaplaincy Leader at Holy Cross. "Of course, the name points us to the diverse men and women throughout history who have witnessed - in both simple and extraordinary ways - to the beauty of life lived in relationship with Jesus Christ."

Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School received nickname suggestions from the community beginning in December 2023. This came after years of discussion surrounding the need for a new name. The school compiled the suggested names and as a committee of students, staff, and community members, they met twice to narrow the list to three choices. Student Council helped to inform the student body about these choices and students and staff voted again in May 2024.

Nicholson Catholic College (NCC), Belleville

Nicholson Catholic College is excited to share that their new nickname is the Nicholson Nicks.

"I love that it is Nicks - because it takes us right back to who we were as a community.  It was our name before and is a reflection of our history," said Evelyn Shakell, student at Nicholson Catholic College.

"It's cool that we are going back into history and relate to our parents and grandparents if they went here.  It is an inclusive name because you can choose what Nick means because it is not really a specific thing," said Cyptin Lambert, student at Nicholson Catholic College.

Earlier in 2024, a survey inviting suggestions for the name change was sent out directly to NCC community members, staff, alumni, and students. Upon collection of the results from the survey, School Council, staff and administrators met to narrow down the selection to 11. These 11 suggestions were then sent out to the school community for staff and students to rank and this process narrowed down the names to the top three. A final survey was sent out to staff and students for a final vote with the top three selections.

Thank you to all students, staff, and community partners for your input on this important endeavor.

"The new nicknames for Holy Cross and Nicholson reflect the inclusive and welcoming communities that our schools prioritize" said David DeSantis, Director of Education. "I am excited to see how these schools embed this new nickname in their schools where every member is loved, inspired, and successful."