October 1, 2026

MEDIA RELEASE: PVNC Catholic Names New Bowmanville School St. Cecilia Catholic Elementary School

Following extensive community consultation, Bowmanville’s newest Catholic school community officially receives its name.

BOWMANVILLE, ON – Following an extensive community consultation process that generated hundreds of name submissions from local families, the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board is proud to officially announce the name of its newest Bowmanville school: St. Cecilia Catholic Elementary School.

While construction continues on the new state-of-the-art facility at Northglen Boulevard and Middle Road, the St. Cecilia school community has officially launched and is operating for the school year as a “school-within-a-school” hosted at nearby St. Elizabeth Catholic Elementary School.

The naming process was guided by an Ad-Hoc Naming Committee through the Board’s Engage PVNC platform. After receiving hundreds of initial community suggestions, the committee developed a shortlist aligned with Board policy, gathered extensive community ranking feedback, and consulted with the Bishop of the Diocese of Peterborough to finalize the selection.

The name was approved by the Board of Trustees and submitted to the Ministry of Education for approval in the spring.

With the school name now official, the Board and school leadership will turn their attention to creating the school’s visual identity—including the development of official school colours and a crest/logo. Community members and families can follow construction progress and ongoing project updates online at Engage PVNC: Northglen Clarington School Updates.

Once completed, the modern, 43,237-square-foot Northglen facility will accommodate nearly 500 Kindergarten to Grade 8 students and feature a three-room child care centre, gymnasium, learning commons, and direct access to adjacent park space.

St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians, is celebrated for her unwavering faith, courage, and joyful spirit. Her legacy will serve as an enduring inspiration for the new school community to express their faith and talents through song, art, and service.


QUOTES:

“Officially announcing St. Cecilia Catholic Elementary School is an exciting milestone as we build the culture and identity of this new learning community,” said Stephen O’Sullivan, PVNC Catholic Chief Executive Officer/Chief Education Officer. “St. Cecilia’s example of faith, joy, and dedication provides a wonderful foundation for our students, staff, and families as they begin their journey together this school year. We are deeply grateful to everyone who participated in the consultation process to help establish this name.”

“From our initial groundbreaking to today’s official naming announcement, the support of the Clarington community has been extraordinary,” said Kevin MacKenzie, PVNC Catholic Board Chairperson and Clarington Trustee. “Through hundreds of survey responses and thoughtful feedback, our families played a direct role in shaping the identity of this school. St. Cecilia Catholic Elementary School will be a vibrant hub for Catholic education, community connections, and academic excellence for generations to come.”

“It is an incredible honour to lead St. Cecilia Catholic Elementary School as we establish our unique legacy,” said Jill Barker, Principal. “While we have started our year sharing the St. Elizabeth CES facility, our unique identity as St. Cecilia CES has been growing. With the approval of our name, St. Cecilia CES, we are now officially set. St. Cecilia’s legacy of faith, harmony, and leadership gives us an inspiring patron from which to form our community around. We are committed to building our school culture and welcoming our inaugural students and families.”


QUICK FACTS:

  • Official Name: St. Cecilia Catholic Elementary School
  • Current Status: Operating as a "school-within-a-school" hosted at St. Elizabeth Catholic Elementary School (610 Longworth Ave, Bowmanville) while construction on the new facility continues.
  • Location: Northglen Blvd. and Middle Rd., Bowmanville
  • Capacity: 493 students (Kindergarten to Grade 8)
  • Features: 16 regular classrooms, 4 kindergarten classrooms, special education and resource rooms, a 3-room child care centre, gymnasium, and learning commons.

September Update: Welcome to the 2026-2027 School Year!

Motto: Faith, Harmony, Leadership

Welcome to the very first school year for our new school community! While construction continues on our permanent home, we are excited to launch the year in our "School in a School" space at St. Elizabeth CES.

Our staff has been hard at work getting classrooms ready to welcome students, build our school culture, and set a strong foundation for the year ahead.

School Naming Status

As a quick update on our school identity, the Board of Trustees has recommended St. Cecilia Catholic Elementary School as our school name. This recommendation has been submitted to the Ministry of Education and remains subject to final approval. We will share official confirmation as soon as the approval process is complete.

Contact Information

Our office is operating out of St. Elizabeth CES. Please reach out with any questions or attendance notices:

Exterior photo of the new Northglen Bowmanville Catholic School (yet to be named) which is still under construction.

2026–2027 Staff Team

  • Kindergarten: Denise Novia, Mary Anna Gunasignham (RECE), Christine Berube, Brenda Demarch (RECE)
  • Primary (Gr. 1–3):
    • Amanda Collins - Grade 1
    • Mackenzie Edwards - Grade 2
    • Molly Magnus - Grade 2/3
    • Charlotte Mizzi - Grade 3
    • Stephanie Cockerton - Grade 3/4
  • Junior (Gr. 4–6):
    • Miranda Sluman - Grade 4/5
    • Angel Amell - Grade 5
    • Shannon Heaney - Grade 6
  • Intermediate (Gr. 7–8):
    • Andrew Devlin - Grade 7
  • Special Education & Support:
    • Michael Marsella - SERT
    • Veronica Hiltz - Program Support
    • Brenna Caldwell - EA
    • Tim Norton - EA
    • Vanessa Regular - EA
    • Sarah Soper - EA
  • French Language/Integrated Arts
    • Alison Masmela
  • Custodial Staff:
    • Kevin Cruickshank

Key September Reminders

  • Location: All classrooms are hosted at St. Elizabeth CES.
  • Schedules & Bell Times: School start and end times remain unchanged. Shared facilities (gym, library, yard) will operate on staggered schedules to accommodate both school communities.
  • Transportation: Route updates and bus eligibility can be confirmed on the Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario (STSCO) portal.

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Project Background

The state-of-the-art facility at Northglen Blvd. and Middle Rd., will accommodate up to 493 students and include a three-room childcare centre to serve infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in our growing community.

Quick Facts:

  • The school will house students from kindergarten to Grade 8.
  • The 43,237-square-foot building will include four kindergarten classrooms, 16 regular classrooms, a special education room, a resource room, and regular school facilities such as a gymnasium and learning commons.
  • The school will be a feeder school to St. Stephen Catholic Secondary School in Bowmanville.
  • Parkspace adjacent to the site will provide a natural extension for outdoor activities and learning.

Spring 2026 Update

Updated: April 10, 2026

Thank you very much for your feedback on the contingency plans we shared in December. Staff have reviewed all the feedback and we have refined our plans accordingly.

We are writing to confirm that the new soon-to-be-named Bowmanville Catholic Elementary School (Northglen) will not be ready to open for September 1, 2026. A new school presents an exciting opportunity to build community and we want to be ready to move into Northglen as soon as possible. To that end, the Board will be moving forward with a “School in a School” approach for Northglen next school year.

What will “School in a School” look like?

The organization and staffing of Northglen will proceed as if we were opening it in September and these staff and students will be at St. Elizabeth CES in a "Northglen Wing". Opening and closing bell times and bus schedules will remain the same, but St. Elizabeth CES and Northglen will operate on separate schedules to accommodate sharing of the school’s shared resources (e.g. playground, gymnasium, library).

Students at St. Elizabeth CES who are in the Northglen catchment will be placed in Northglen classrooms and with Northglen staff for 2026-2027. These classes will remain at St. Elizabeth CES until Northglen is ready to open.

We understand that some Holy Family CES and St. Francis of Assisi CES families will have existing childcare arrangements, either in the Northglen community or at their current school. These students will have multiple entry points they may choose based on their situation. They may “hold” at their current school until Northglen opens or they may switch to St. Elizabeth CES and “hold” there at the Northglen “School in a School”. If families would prefer to change their holding school for the 2026/2027 school year to St. Elizabeth CES they must make arrangements with the office staff of their current school as soon as possible.

The St. Elizabeth CES Grade 8 students (current Grade 7's) will be at the St. Elizabeth CES (Longworth Campus) for September and the "Annex" will be turned back to St. Stephen CSS.

We are pleased to announce that Jill Barker, currently the Principal at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Cobourg, has been appointed as the inaugural Principal of Northglen Catholic Elementary School. Office staff for Northglen will have offices at St. Elizabeth CES and administration of the Northglen school will begin August 24th, 2026.

Transportation arrangements for students at their holding schools will remain unchanged for September. Once students move to Northglen, Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario (STSCO) will assess eligibility distances and add students who become eligible. Students who become ineligible will continue to be offered transportation on an exception (or temporary) basis for the balance of the 2026-2027 school year.

We will share updated timeline information regarding the opening of Northglen as it becomes available. We appreciate your continued patience and understanding.

Note: for the current Northglen Naming Consultation Project, please go to https://engagepvnc.ca/northglen-clarington-school-...