Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School was founded in 2004.[4] In 2002, the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board approved the construction of a new secondary school in Ancaster to alleviate overcrowding at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School on the West Mountain and St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in West Hamilton.
An official ground breaking ceremony was held on May 22, 2003, on the grounds of the former 17.5-acre (7.1 ha) Marshall Potato Farm on Highway 53 just west of Fiddler's Green Road.
The school was officially opened in February 2005, and received its official blessing on April 17, 2005, by Bishop Anthony F. Tonnos,[2] for whom the school was named after.
Construction
The 178,000 sq ft (16,500 m2) school was built at a cost of $24-million with a Ministry rated capacity of 1,250 students. On June 20, 2016, the Board of Trustees approved the installation of a 110,000 sq ft (10,000 m2). artificial turf sports field at the school. A field blessing and dedication, officiated by Bishop Anthony F. Tonnos, was held on October 6, 2017.
Charity work
Students from Bishop Tonnos went on a mission trip to the Caribbean with Dominican Republic Education and Medical Support, or DREAMS, in 2019. DREAMS is a support program that provides students with a first-hand experience of life and living conditions in the developing south. Students built a two-room house in a mountain village.[5] The schools also hosts charity events, such as movie-screening fundraisers.[6]