Monarch Park Collegiate
Encyclopedia
Monarch Park Collegiate (MPC) (formerly known as Monarch Park Secondary School) is a high school located near the intersection of Coxwell Avenue and Danforth Avenue in Toronto
, Canada
. MPC offers a complete semestered program, open for limited out-of-district student enrollment. Monarch Park Collegiate is a 'Global School' that embraces a philosophy on global education, focusing on human rights education, peace education, international development and environmentalism. The staff and students are from over 70 different countries and speak almost as many languages.
Monarch Park Collegiate was the first high school built in Toronto after 1937. Construction of the school began in March 1964, and was completed by late August at a cost of $3,751,654.27. In 1966 a third story was added at a cost of $1,245,210.
In terms of facilities, the large group instruction room was constructed to allow topics to be presented to approximately 150 and also greatly reduced repetition of the same material.
The library, located in the same wing of the school, was constructed with a mezzanine which is capable of seating about 80 students. This mezzanine was constructed so that students could study and be in easy reach of the library's research books and other material. The auditorium, located in the same wing, was equipped with excellent lighting and acoustics system.
The eastern wing was constructed with a modern swimming pool, measuring 75' × 35' and varying in depth from 3' to 9½' lined on one side by a gallery. In the summer of 2011 the pool area underwent renovations after being temporarily closed the year before. During the 2009-2010 school year NDP
party leader Jack Layton
visited the school during an effort to help keep it open to the students and public.
The school that would later be known as College Francais
was founded here in 1979, before being moved to Jarvis Collegiate
in 1981.
Monarch Park Collegiate is an International Baccalaureate World School (2007). It presently offers the IB Prep program (Grades 9 and 10) and the IB Diploma Programme
(Grades 11 and 12) which started in September 2008. The current head of the department is John Au.
The official mascot is the Monarch Park Lion.
MPC also has relatively new boys' rugby, football, and baseball teams.
The school has also been featured in popular culture in the 1999 drama The Virgin Suicides
directed by Sofia Coppola
.
(FTC). Thirteen students who were in the midst of studying courses on leadership, international development, human rights education and issues related to Africa and the developing world, traveled to Kenya In November 2006. There, for a month, students worked with the peoples of the Masai Mara building schools, planting trees, and teaching English.
Two years later, 13 Monarch Park students traveled to Kenya again, for 25 days. After returning to Toronto, students from both trips visited various schools within the GTA as Free the Children Ambassadors, telling their stories and urging students to get involved.
Monarch Park has continued to be one of the top contributing high schools to FTC, and was featured in chapter 7 of the organizations book, Me to We
.
White, Gold, Green
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. MPC offers a complete semestered program, open for limited out-of-district student enrollment. Monarch Park Collegiate is a 'Global School' that embraces a philosophy on global education, focusing on human rights education, peace education, international development and environmentalism. The staff and students are from over 70 different countries and speak almost as many languages.
Monarch Park Collegiate was the first high school built in Toronto after 1937. Construction of the school began in March 1964, and was completed by late August at a cost of $3,751,654.27. In 1966 a third story was added at a cost of $1,245,210.
In terms of facilities, the large group instruction room was constructed to allow topics to be presented to approximately 150 and also greatly reduced repetition of the same material.
The library, located in the same wing of the school, was constructed with a mezzanine which is capable of seating about 80 students. This mezzanine was constructed so that students could study and be in easy reach of the library's research books and other material. The auditorium, located in the same wing, was equipped with excellent lighting and acoustics system.
The eastern wing was constructed with a modern swimming pool, measuring 75' × 35' and varying in depth from 3' to 9½' lined on one side by a gallery. In the summer of 2011 the pool area underwent renovations after being temporarily closed the year before. During the 2009-2010 school year NDP
NDP
- Political parties :* National Democratic Party, any one of many political parties of that name around the world* Nebraska Democratic Party, a political party in Nebraska, United States...
party leader Jack Layton
Jack Layton
John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of...
visited the school during an effort to help keep it open to the students and public.
The school that would later be known as College Francais
Le Collège français
Le Collège français is a French-language high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-General information:Le Collège français is part of Conseil scolaire Viamonde and had 283 students enrolled. It is located in downtown Toronto near the intersection of Carlton Street and Jarvis Street, near the TTC...
was founded here in 1979, before being moved to Jarvis Collegiate
Jarvis Collegiate Institute
Jarvis Collegiate Institute is a high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Jarvis is located on Jarvis Street. Founded in 1807 it is the second oldest high school in Ontario after the Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, and the oldest high school in Toronto.-History:Jarvis Collegiate was...
in 1981.
Monarch Park Collegiate is an International Baccalaureate World School (2007). It presently offers the IB Prep program (Grades 9 and 10) and the IB Diploma Programme
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
(Grades 11 and 12) which started in September 2008. The current head of the department is John Au.
The official mascot is the Monarch Park Lion.
MPC also has relatively new boys' rugby, football, and baseball teams.
The school has also been featured in popular culture in the 1999 drama The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides is the 1993 debut novel by American writer Jeffrey Eugenides. The story, which is set in Grosse Pointe, Michigan during the 1970s, centers on the suicides of five sisters. The Lisbon girls' suicides fascinate their community as their neighbors struggle to find an explanation for...
directed by Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola is an American screenwriter, film director, actress, and producer.In 2003 she received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation, and became the third woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing...
.
Kenya Program
This was a program in Canada, where Monarch Park Collegiate partnered with Toronto-based Free the ChildrenFree The Children
Free The Children is an international charity and youth movement founded in 1995 by children's rights advocate Craig Kielburger. The organization is largely youth-funded, based on the concept of "children helping children." It specializes in sustainable development in countries of Kenya, Ecuador,...
(FTC). Thirteen students who were in the midst of studying courses on leadership, international development, human rights education and issues related to Africa and the developing world, traveled to Kenya In November 2006. There, for a month, students worked with the peoples of the Masai Mara building schools, planting trees, and teaching English.
Two years later, 13 Monarch Park students traveled to Kenya again, for 25 days. After returning to Toronto, students from both trips visited various schools within the GTA as Free the Children Ambassadors, telling their stories and urging students to get involved.
Monarch Park has continued to be one of the top contributing high schools to FTC, and was featured in chapter 7 of the organizations book, Me to We
Me to We
Me to We is a for-profit, self-described social enterprise founded in 2008 by brothers Craig Kielburger and Marc Kielburger that provides socially responsible products and services and donates 50% of its profits to charity Free The Children....
.
White, Gold, Green
Notable alumni
- Laura DiBattista - former News Anchor/Reporter (1979)
- Tom JakobekTom JakobekTom Jakobek is a former member of the Toronto City Council. He was first elected to council in 1982 after serving as a school trustee, and remained a member until 2000....
- former Toronto municipal politician (1970) - Alan ParkAlan ParkAlan Park is a Canadian comedian and political satirist best known for his appearances on the Royal Canadian Air Farce. Alan gives humorous commentary on current events...
- Comedian/Royal Canadian Air Farce (1980) - Glen MetropolitGlen MetropolitGlen Metropolit is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for EV Zug in the Swiss National League A.-Early years:...
- NHL Hockey Player - Plays for the Montreal Canadiens (1990s)