Villanova welcomes future students at Grade 8 open house

Grade 8 student Liam Charette, left; got a new Villanova hoodie and was welcomed to the school by Jake Donnelly. 

The Class of 2030 explored everything St. Thomas of Villanova had to offer Monday night as the Catholic secondary school opened its doors and hosted the Grade 8 open house.

A large crowd of future Wildcats had a chance to get an up close and very personal look at what their next four years will be.

“We are so excited that you chose Villanova in your next step of your academic journey,” said Olivia Dauma, deputy prime minister of the Student Council at Villanova.

Dauma, along with fellow council member Charlotte Bondy welcomed the future students and noted that, as current Grade 12 students, they have many lasting memories and are grateful for what Villanova has provided to them.

“Welcome future Wildcats. It’s a pleasure to be part of this extraordinary learning community,” said principal Dr. Danielle Desjardins.

As many of those who attended quickly learned, this school is much more than reading, writing and arithmetic.

Throughout the night, current students gave demonstrations in everything from robotics and digital media production to transportation and technological design including a demonstration with a 3D printer.

Monique Sevelski’s daughter Juliana is in Grade 12 and she is proud of the fact that her younger daughter Dayna, a Grade 8 student at Amherstburg’s Stella Maris, will be coming to Villanova next fall.

“We are Catholic and she (Dayna) goes to the sister school and we like the programs. She chose it (Villanova) and she wants to take dance. She had an invite to another school,” said Monique.

Dance and drama are a big part of Villanova and during the opening ceremonies, the audience had a sneak preview at an upcoming production of Mamma Mia.

Student Council secretary Sofia Galanopoulous encouraged new students to sign up.

“I think it’s a good school. There is a good community of people,” said Juliana.

Jake Donnelly is in Grade 9 and he was excited to have the opportunity to show his friend Liam Charette who is in Grade 8 around and get ready to come to Villanova.

Liam already knows what he wants to pursue saying, “I want to be an actor and they have a good acting program here.”

St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Secondary School currently has an enrolment of about 1,300 and is in the Windsor-Essex Catholic School Board of Education. 

It is the primary Catholic secondary school for Amherstburg, LaSalle and River Canard.

Photos of graduating classes dating back to 1993 are on the walls of the hallways at St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Secondary School and the school boasts notable graduates as professional hockey players Michael DiPietro, Zack Kassian, Andrew Gibson and Super Bowl champion Luke Willson.

Villanova welcomes future students at Grade 8 open house

By Fred Groves