Sports teams at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School and Cathedral High School will soon be playing on artificial turf.

On June 20th, the Board of Trustees approved the installation of new artificial turf athletic fields at Cathedral High School and St. Mary Catholic Secondary School. The schools are the final two of seven secondary schools in the HWCDSB to receive artificial turf sports fields since the first artificial turf field was piloted at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School in September 2011.

“We’re extremely pleased to be able to continue to improve facilities at our secondary schools,” says Chairperson Patrick J. Daly. “The artificial turf sports field will be a wonderful support and great enhancement to the schools’ physical education and very successful co-instructional programs.”

“We know that this investment will support the long tradition of academic and co- curricular excellence at both Cathedral and St. Mary.”

Expressing his thanks to the Board of Trustee on behalf of the St. Mary Catholic Secondary School community, Principal Michael Gravina says the artificial turf field will benefit students and staff, and the surrounding community.

“The transformation of our field will not only provide a modern facility for our sports teams, but it will also support the growing demand for sport specific physical education courses, increase opportunities for our students to be involved in outdoor physical activities, and support the needs of our community youth sports programs.”

“This is exciting news,” adds Mark Daly, Principal of Cathedral High School. “The addition of an artificial turf field to our already great facility promises to enrich the learning environment for all of our students through their physical education classes and all of our extra-curricular teams and clubs."