January 19th - Message from Niagara Catholic

Buses are cancelled today but schools are open for those who can get to school safely. Please be cautious walking your child to school.

January 17th - Schools Closed due to Weather

All Niagara Catholic schools and sites are closed for today (Jan. 17) due to inclement weather. If you must travel, please stay safe.

Smrek claims NCAA MVP honours

By Bernie Puchalski - January 5, 2022

In the span of less than a year, Anna Smrek went from being a spectator to the MVP of the NCAA Division 1 women’s volleyball championship.

“If I look back to January, it definitely wasn’t something that I could have predicted for myself,” the 18-year-old Welland Notre Dame graduate said. “I mainly went there to jumpstart my training because I wasn’t eligible to compete.”

The 6-foot-9 player headed to the University of Wisconsin in January 2021 but wasn’t eligible to play in the 2020 fall season which had been moved to the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic

“Not being eligible to play was a little bit different but it helped me with my transition a little bit more because I could focus on developing and getting to know my team instead of having competition on my plate right away,” said the former Niagara Rapids and Defensa Volleyball Club travel player.

Smrek had a front row seat as Wisconsin made it to the NCAA Final Four in the spring of 2021 and lost in the semifinals. The squad resumed summer training in July followed by the preseason in August. University of Wisconsin photo

“At that time, I wasn’t starting and I wasn’t for a good bit of the season,” Smrek said.

When middle Danielle Hart tore her SCL at practice, Smrek took Hart’s position for a few games before she too suffered a knee injury. Although it wasn’t as serious as Hart’s, it kept her out of the lineup and she was replaced in the middle by another player on the Wisconsin roster.

It was then that Smrek was moved to right side.

“I took that on at practice and all of a sudden I was thrown into games at that position,” she said. “Over time, it started to become my position and my spot on the court.”

She shared the position with teammate Jade Demps.

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Ponting leads Irish past Gators

By Bernie Puchalski - December 9, 2021

Like all high school boys basketball teams in Niagara, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish senior squad is a work in progress.

“It has been two years since we played and practices are one thing and games are another. They are completely different,” said Notre Dame’s Lucas Ponting, after scoring 22 points Thursday to lead his team to a 78-28 road victory over the Lakeshore Catholic Gators in Niagara Catholic Athletic Association play.

The 6-foot-4 forward loves being back playing with his Irish teammates.

“They are your classmates and your friends,” he said. “It was definitely difficult not playing last year. School is not the same without sports.”

The 17-year-old Pelham Panthers travel player has high expectations for Notre Dame this season.

“I definitely think we can go to OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championship) because we are a really good team. We are big, we have people who can shoot and people who can drive. We have people on our team who can do everything.”

The Grade 12 student wants to continue working on his game this season.

“I have to keep getting stronger and working on everything, dribbling and shooting.”

Notre Dame head coach Mark Gallagher is happy to have Ponting on his roster.

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Notre Dame students bring back commemorative ceremony for École Polytechnique tragedy

James Culic Niagara This Week - Welland
Saturday, December 4, 2021

The École Polytechnique tragedy saw 14 women murdered by a deranged man who thought only men belonged in engineering school. When students from Notre Dame College School in Welland commemorate the event with a vigil each year on the anniversary of the tragic event, they choose 15 young women as representatives.

Each student represents one of the 14 murdered women, and tells their story, while a 15th student acts a stand-in for all the victims of male violence against women that have been lost in the 32 years since the École Polytechnique massacre on Dec. 6, 1989.

“We do this to raise awareness among our student body, so that our students gain a better understanding of the tragic events that occurred that day,” said Notre Dame teacher Tanya Garofalo Cirone, who helps organize the event alongside fellow teacher Tara Markovich.

The event was cancelled last year for the first time because of the pandemic, and Markovich said they’re pleased to be able to bring it back this year.

“It’s important to commemorate the victims so we never forget what happened that day,” said Markovich.