St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School
St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School is a Catholic high school located in the Erin Mills community of Mississauga, Ontario, named after Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. The school opened in Mississauga in 2001, after spending a year as a holding school in Georgetown. It is a joint venture between the city of Mississauga and the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board. According to the Fraser Institute, it is currently ranked 2nd in the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board behind St. Marcellinus Secondary School, 5th in Mississauga and 32nd out of 623 high schools in Ontario. History . St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School was established in 2000 in a holding school in Georgetown. The new school was built at 2800 Erin Centre Boulevard and was opened and blessed in 2001. Description. Gonzaga is part of Erin Meadows Multi-use Complex, a partnership between the City of Mississauga, the Mississauga Library System, and the board. The advanced-concept building includes a substantial library and a community centre complete with swimming pool. Students are able to access the community library and can use the community centre facilities as part of their program. Gonzaga, which has over 1800 students, has a  significant number of programs that accommodate academic and special needs students. Integrated in the programs are ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) program, Advanced Placement (AP) program, and Extended French program for selected students across the board. The school is across the street from Merciful Redeemer Parish, where students can attend Mass. The geographic proximity of the school to our Parish, Merciful Redeemer, has helped to create close ties between the school and parish communities. Some school retreats are held at the parish, and students are involved in many parish ministries and the parish’s Life Teen program St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary  School currently has a TV studio and editing room, auto centre, construction department, greenhouse, music room, dance studio, drama stage and theatre, and a weight lifting room. The atrium, community meeting rooms, library, and swimming pool are shared with the City of Mississauga. Feeder Schools. The elementary schools that St. Aloysius Gonzaga derives the majority of its new students are from: House system. St. Aloysius Gonzaga has a house system implemented of which students score house points for participating in academic and extra-curricular achievements at the school, and help around the local community. All students are randomly sorted into  one of the 10 Gonzaga Houses for his/her high school career once entering Grade 9. These houses include Strength (Yellow), Courage (White), Faith (Burgundy), Challenge (Red), Truth (Silver), Justice (Gold), Peace (Orange), Dreams (Sky Blue), Perseverance (Green), and Leadership (Royal Blue). Athletics. The 23 sports teams offered by St Aloysius Gonzaga range from varsity teams, to group teams and intramurals. The varsity girls hockey team winning OFSAA in 2013. The school offers: senior and junior boys hockey, varsity girls hockey, senior and junior boys volleyball, senior and junior girls volleyball, senior and junior boys basketball, senior and junior girls  basketball, intramural basketball, senior and junior boys soccer, intramural soccer, senior and junior boys football, girls flag football, baseball varsity boys, softball varsity girls, cricket, curling, swimming, dance, golf, tennis, lacrosse, cross country, and track and field. Clubs and organizations. St. Aloysius Gonzaga offers many clubs and organizations to all students. With 40 total clubs and organizations, ranging in wide variety from one club to the next, there are many for students to choose from. Clubs and organizations offered to students include: Chaplaincy's "Addicted to Change" and Christmas Basket Creation Club, AV Club, Chess Club, Culinary Club, Dance Club , DECA (Business) Organization, Dragon Boat Racing, Games Club, Health Club, Lifeline Organization, Gonzaga Players (Drama and Acting) Club, Student Prefects, Graduation Committee, Green Scene, Harry Potter Club, JAG (Junior Achievement) Organization, Law Club, Math Club, Modern Languages Club, Music Department (Including Concert Band/Choir, Symphonic Band, Guitar/Wind Ensembles, and Jazz Band/Choir), OSAID (Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving), Outreach Organization, Photography Club, Reading Club, Robotics Club, Safe at Gonzaga Organization, Science Club, Sewing Club, Spanish Club, Model United Nations, and Yearbook Committee.