Back to School: The history behind 5 York Region school names

The stories behind monikers given to schools in Richmond Hill, Markham, Aurora, Georgina and Vaughan

Yorkregion.com
August 27, 2018
Laura Finney

1. St. Marguerite d'Youville Catholic Elementary School -- Richmond Hill

St. Marguerite d'Youville was born in Quebec in 1701 and was the first native Canadian to become a saint. She faced a lot of hardships in life, yet she always helped the poor. She is credited with founding The Sisters of Charity of Montreal, or the Grey Nuns.

2. Donald Cousens Public School -- Markham

Donald Cousens was well known in Markham and York Region before he died in 2017. He was a trustee and eventually chair of the York Region Board of Education. He was also a member of the Ontario legislature, mayor of Markham and sat on York Region council.

3. W.J. Watson Public School -- Georgina

Then namesake for this school is “Whipper Billy” Watson, or William Potts, a wrestler from the '40s to the '60s. He was known for his philanthropy and his work with the Ontario Society for Crippled Children (now Easter Seals). He was also awarded the Order of Canada.

4. Dr. Roberta Bondar Public School -- Vaughan

Dr. Roberta Bondar was born in Sault Ste. Marie. She was Canada's first female astronaut and the first neurologist in space. She headed a NASA international space medicine team for over 10 years and has received numerous awards, honours and accolades. Her foundation raises awareness and education about the environment.

5. St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School -- Aurora

St. Maximilian Kolbe was a priest in Poland during the Second World War. He helped Jewish refugees and published work at his monastery, then he was taken to Auschwitz. After a prisoner escaped, guards chose 10 prisoners to starve. Kolbe volunteered to take the place of one of the men.