Nicholson Catholic College (NCC) is a Catholic secondary school in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. The school operates under the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board, and teaches students the Ontario Secondary School Diploma Curriculum as well as curriculum from the International Baccalaureate Programme. NCC is named after Monsignor J.F. Nicholson, V.G., P.A., with whose help and guidance a Catholic high school was first opened in Belleville. Monsignor Nicholson was the pastor of St. Michael's parish.
History
Nicholson Catholic College first opened in September, 1960, when it replaced the previous St. Michael's High-School which had been in existence since 1930. In 1960, Nicholson consisted of grades 11, 12, and 13. In 1965, Nicholson was expanded to include grades 9 and 10, when the Belleville Separate School Board opened Nicholson Senior School adjacent to Nicholson Catholic College. This new school addition also included a new and improved gymnasium, as well as 8 fully equipped classrooms.
Nicholson Catholic College was the only Catholic School in the Quinte region for many years after its founding. However, because students from all the surrounding area who were enrolled in the ALCDSB had only the choice to attend Nicholson, this meant that by the early 1990s Nicholson was far over its student capacity. To solve this problem, the school board planned the construction of two additional schools (St. Paul's and St. Theresa's Catholic Secondary School's) in the Bay of Quinte Region to facilitate students who were outside of the Nicholson C.S.S. bus zone. Because of this transfer of students, the enrollment numbers for students at Nicholson dropped significantly in the late 1990s from almost 1,000 to around the current number of 600 students.
Administration
There are currently over 50 staff members at Nicholson Catholic College. The leader of the administration is the principal, followed by the vice principal. The administration generally operates with managerial elements and according to rigid policies set out by itself, the school board and the Ontario government. Students are not allowed to go against policy and have generally limited power to legally combat policies and the will of the administration, yet teachers have slightly more clout through unions such as OECTA.
Academics
General Academics
Nicholson offers extensive transition supports to new students including a formal peer mentor program, shadow day experiences, dances for students in Grades 7 and 8 and focused Guidance support within both elementary and secondary environments. The school offers all courses that constitute the Ontario Secondary School Diploma curriculum as well as that of the IB Program.
Students who attend Nicholson Catholic College are taught under the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, or the IB World Education curriculum if they are enrolled in the program. From 2008 and onward Nicholson Catholic College has maintained a consistent school overall ranking of between 6.9 and 7.4 out of 10.
Experiential Education Opportunities
Nicholson Catholic College offers a range of Experiential Education Opportunities. Students at Nicholson can earn credits through experiential experiences called Co-op. Students will explore occupations and career interests through participation in real workplace experiences. Co-op education is an important element of the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) or Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) training.
Nicholson offers three Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) opportunities: Health and Wellness Transportation Communication Technology
Apprenticeship is a method of training in which employers train workers to become skilled workers through on-the-job training and classroom instruction. The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program is for students who have career plans to become an apprentice in the skilled trades. During secondary school, students will begin the theory and hands-on-experience required for apprenticeship while completing high school credits. The hands-on experience is obtained through the co-op program.