| Father Michael Goetz Secondary School | |
| Take a risk, Get involved, Be Committed! | |
| Address | |
| 330 Central Parkway West. Mississauga, Ontario, L5B 3K6, Canada |
|
| Information | |
| School board | Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Superintendent | Charles Blanchard |
| Area trustee | Anna Maria Abbruscato, Luz del Rosario, Bruno Iannicca |
| Principal | Samuel Macaluso |
| Vice principal | Caterina Greco, Joseph Zammit, Theresa George |
| School type | Separate High School |
| Grades | 9 to 12 |
| Language | English, programs include French |
| Area | Mississauga East - Cooksville |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Mascot | Alvin Alligator |
| Team name | Gators |
| Colours | Green and Blue |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Enrolment | 1841 (As of October 31, 2009) [1] |
| Homepage | http://www.dpcdsb.org/GOETZ/ |
Father Michael Goetz Secondary School (sometimes referred to as Goetz or abbreviated as FMG) is a Catholic school located in Mississauga, Canada. Founded by Ed King, it was established in 1987 (in its original location on Hollymount Drive) and in 1990 moved to the south of the city centre. The school was named after King's friend, Father Michael Goetz.[2]
Contents |
The school has one of the highest populations of English-as-a-second-language students in the school district.[3] The school graduates on average over 90% of its students with at least 65% getting into a higher level of education.
Students go through four years of schooling and the school offers a range of subjects at different levels of difficulty.[3]
The curriculum includes 13 areas of study for the 2007-08 school year in the arts, business, languages, science and technology.[4] The school offers 'technological education' in subjects including photography and animation, construction and transportation technology, personal services and hospitality, computer and information science, computer engineering and technological design.[3]
"The curriculum in all its aspects must reflect the fact that Christ isn't the foundation of the whole educational enterprise in a Catholic school. The curriculum as a whole, and every part of it is religious," school officials stated in a report to Ontario school officials.[3]
Before the start of school each day, morning prayer is conducted in the school chapel. Masses are held on special days at the Christ the King Church and in the school cafeteria or gym. The special days are the opening of the school year, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Easter and the closing of the school year. Opportunities are also given to the students for public prayer, reconciliation, retreats and alms giving.[3]
In January 2007 a row broke out when Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson was pulled from the school, despite being used in the curriculum, because an anonymous letter writer objected that it contained sexually explicit text. The book was restored in February following a review by a committee of trustees and curriculum experts.[5]
The school is a member of the Region of Peel Secondary School Athletic Association.[6]
The girls basketball team was recognized as "high school team of the year" in 2007, after going undefeated over the previous four seasons with a 46-0 record.[7]
The school was founded by Ed King, who was also the first principal. As the school was being built, the first year of classes took place on a campus at Etobicoke. The school was then moved to a shared campus on Christmas of the same year. They were to stay there for four more years, until the school building's construction was completed. It was open for the 1990-91 school year.[2]
During the first term of the 1994–1995 school year, a group of students anonymously published and distributed Monolith, a photocopied monthly newsletter mostly detailing the publishers' grievances with teachers and administration at the school as well as some overall observations regarding growing up in the mid-nineties. The Halloween issue was distributed by costumed, masked students in the cafetorium and included complimentary condoms, as a protest against a perceived anti-sex education bias at the school (comprehensive "sex ed" was actually provided for all students). The final, Christmas issue was distributed in the school's public restrooms. Some of the students responsible were found out and suspended early in the second term. The suspensions proved controversial, with articles published in The Mississauga News and some of the suspended students appearing on CityTV's Speakers' Corner.