Holy Family Catholic School opened for the 1978-79 school year with an enrolment of 75 students, housed in portables. This annex remained in place until 1989.
The new school facility, boasting a unique one-of-a-kind design, officially opened on Sunday, October 21, 1979. But the new school facility, boasting a unique one-of-a-kind design, was ready for the next school
year. Its official opening took place on Sunday, October 21, 1979. In just a few years, Holy Family Catholic School became overcrowded so
an annex was opened on Uplands Drive. In June 1989
, the primary students at the annex moved to the main building. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, 1989, the annex was closed and Vice-Principal Margie Gourdier and her junior students moved back to Holy Family School to be accommodated in a porta-pak. In 1988-89, the school celebrated its tenth anniversary. A school logo was
designed and the school song was written. Holy Family Catholic School celebrated its 25th anniversary on October 17, 2004, an event that attracted many staff, students and parents, both past and present. A highlight event took place in Holy Family Catholic School in January 2005, when Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty visited the school, speaking to the grades 5 and 6 students and visiting
all of the classes. Over the years, Holy Family School has been a caring and generous community, as well as one with a sense of fun and celebration. It has supported charitable causes such as “Jump Rope for Heart” and the Ottawa Food Bank. In January 2005, the school, with an enrolment of just under 300 students, raised $3,500 for tsunami relief. Each year the school holds
a walk-a-thon fundraiser. For fun, the Holy Family School community enjoys activities such as carnival days, a fun fair, a family skate night and Christmas celebrations. There is a talented school choir, which, under the direction of Teacher Rhodora Williams, has won numerous awards at the Kiwanis Music
Festival. Holy Family Catholic School also has had a strong interest in physical fitness and sports. It has received Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD) awards
at both the gold and platinum levels. It has a daily intramural sports program for students at lunchtime, most recently organized by Teacher Diane Finlay. The Holy Family School community remains a welcoming, multicultural community, embracing many nationalities. Its members come from more
than 20 different language backgrounds.
