GUELPH – Middle school students will soon be attending Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Secondary School.
Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) trustees approved a motion for Grade 7 and 8 students from St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in Guelph to transition to a middle school program at the high school beginning September 2026.
The above was the most contentious of six recommendations approved regarding an attendance area and grade structure review.
Board officials hoped that moving forward with building a high school in Wellington County could be part of the review recommendations, but the Ministry of Education denied its capital funding proposal.
The recommendations, approved on June 2, include:
- deferring a decision about transitioning students from Rockwood’s Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School to Bishop Macdonell Catholic Secondary School instead of St. James for Grades 9 through 12;
- boundary changes for St. Joseph and Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary Schools in Guelph;
- directing all Guelph Sacred Heart students to St. James Catholic High School for Grades 9 through 12 instead of splitting them between St. James and Our Lady of Lourdes; and
- continuing to monitor enrolment at St. Francis of Assisi and St. Peter Catholic Elementary Schools and explore the feasibility of submitting a capital priorities funding request to the Ministry of Education for west Guelph.
All but the recommendation about introducing a middle school program at Our Lady of Lourdes passed unanimously.
About 20 members of the public attended the meeting, and all appeared to be against having students in Grades 7 and 8 attend the secondary school.
Parents brought a petition with 90 signatures opposing the recommendation.
Some parents told the Advertiser they’ve expressed opposition since public consultation began last fall, but they don’t feel their voices have been heard.
St. Joseph has high immigration levels, with many families for whom English is not a first language, and some parents were quietly translating for one another throughout the meeting.
They noted translations were not provided throughout the public consultation process, limiting many families’ ability to contribute.
When trustees voted for the recommendation, with all but trustee Cassandra O’Donell in favour, one of the parents said, “Wow, so disappointing,” and chair Marino Gazolla exclaimed, “Enough!”
Superintendent of education Berry Farrell presented a report about WCDSB staff visiting high schools in Leamington and Windsor where middle school programs have been implemented.
She visited the schools on May 1 and 2 with superintendent Marylin Dawson and Our Lady of Lourdes principal and vice principal Valerie Marks and Amanda Belluz.
According to Farrell’s report, both of the examples are essentially set up as two schools within one – “each with its own administrative team, timetables and often distinct educational mandates.”
Farrell’s report describes a “consistency in school culture, expectations and support systems … (and) coordinated planning and shared goals, despite separate operational structures.”
O’Donnell said she is surprised there is nothing in Farrell’s report about behavioural challenges.
She called it “a huge concern” that the behaviour of high school students could potentially impact Grade 7 and 8 students.”
She said she doesn’t believe that was not an issue at the Windsor and Leamington schools.
Farrell responded by pointing out that St. James Catholic Secondary School and St. John Catholic Elementary School in Guelph are “only 20 feet apart.
“In this case, two separate schools just happen to be housed in one building,” she said
Farrell also noted that when officials at the Windsor and Leamington schools “say no behaviour issues, they mean high school behaviour issues are not carrying over to middle schools” – not that there aren’t any behaviour issues at all.
Finoro said he appreciates Farrell “emphasizing that it’s one large building but the two groups are completely separate,” with no middle schoolers in the high school setting without supervision.
The middle school program at Our Lady of Lourdes would likely be in a separate wing, but this was not specified in the trustees’ recommendation.
O’Donnell asked if it would be appropriate to specify in the recommendation how separate or connected the middle and high school students should be.
Gazolla said details about the extent of separation are something board administration will look at down the line.
Director of education Mike Glazier said “the idea of separation was important to families,” and that it would be “top of mind,” with the middle school program having “definitely a middle school feel, as opposed to secondary.”
There has been a middle school program at Our Lady of Lourdes before, with St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School sharing its campus.
And there are 140 schools in Ontario that combine high school and elementary students, Farrell’s report noted.
Trustees Joe Tersigni and Finoro both used to teach at St. Bernadette, and said there were no issues with elementary and high school students under the same roof.
Finoro noted it offered an opportunity for high school students to help with their younger peers.
Trustee Sebastian Dal Bo expressed concerns about the shared gym and the importance of achieving a balance with students of all ages accessing the space equally.
“I don’t see a balance unless we put in a second gym,” he said.
Glazier said staff have examined timetables and found “There is space available” to accommodate Grades 7 through 12.
“I don’t want to see any student left out,” Dal Bo said.
A report about the recommendations summarizes public feedback as:
- strong desire for minimal disruption to student learning;
- student safety and wellbeing are paramount;
- concerns about transportation, school community continuity and program access;
- preference for solutions that support long-term stability and equitable distribution of enrolment; and
- emphasis on timely and transparent communication during any transition period.
The report states the rationale for Grade 7 and 8 students transitioning to Our Lady of Lourdes is to address space pressures and support program continuity while minimizing disruption for students.
“It allows students to remain in their local community, reducing transitions and maintaining neighbourhood connections.”
An alternative option to the middle school program at Our Lady of Lourdes was transferring St. Joseph students to Mary Phelan Catholic Elementary School.
But WCDSB staff consider the high school option “a more efficient and practical solution, both operationally and financially.”
“Approximately 85% of the affected students live within walking distance of Our Lady of Lourdes, helping to avoid additional transportation costs that would result from moving students to Mary Phelan,” the report states.
“Based on projected enrolment and space usage, placing students at Mary Phelan … would have required the addition of a portable classroom as early as September 2026.”
