The UCC Board of Stewards
Encyclopedia
Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College , located in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is an independent elementary and secondary school for boys between Senior Kindergarten and Grade Twelve, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The secondary school segment is divided into ten houses; eight are...
(UCC), a private all-male school in Toronto
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...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, 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...
, serves as the school's official student government. A Steward is elected to represent each of the ten houses that make up the College
Upper Canada College houses
Upper Canada College, an all male preparatory school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, like several other Commonwealth schools, divides its students into ten houses, each led by a Senior House Adviser and a student-elected Head of House. Heads of Houses are among the sixteen "stewards" who form the...
, while a Head Steward and five Stewards-with-portfolio are elected by the entire student body. In 2004, the positions of Secretary and Treasurer were added. These positions are not elected by the student body, but from a vote within the Board of Stewards.
Stewards wear distinctive ties, as well as what is known as the "Steward's Blazer"; unlike the solid navy blue blazer which forms part of the UCC uniform, the Steward's Blazer is white with navy blue lapels and cuffs.
History
The Board of Stewards was instituted in 1892, just one year after the College moved to its new Deer ParkDeer Park, Toronto
Deer Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, centred on the intersection of Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue; its boundaries are the Vale of Avoca section of Rosedale ravine in the east, Farnham Avenue and Jackes Avenue in the south, Avenue Road and Oriole Parkway in the west, the...
campus; and the Stewards' Blazer began its use five years later. The design of the jackets was not without criticism, letters to the editor of the College Times complained that they were "the cynosure of everyone's eye - But so is the uniform of the door man at the Park Plaza."
From time to time, being a member of the Board brought some privileges. It was reported by Barstow Miller, Head Boy
Head boy
Head Boy and Head Girl are terms commonly used in the British education system, and in private schools throughout the Commonwealth.-United Kingdom:...
in 1915, that William "Stony" Jackson, a house master at the time, who also conducted meetings of the Board, would allow Prefects a secret place to smoke "around the corner through his hallway." Six members were also designated as student editors of the College Times after 1894. By 1906 they comprised the entire editorial board, a designation that lasted for two years. The Stewards were also originally charged with initiating
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components...
new boys into the Upper School; in 1920 this consisted of putting them through an athletics course, classical dancing
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, cadet drill
Parade (military)
A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manouevering known as drilling or marching. The American usage is "formation or military review". The military parade is now mostly ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the late 19th...
, gymnastics, and more - blindfolded. This practice ended in 1944.
That same year, the form of the Board was restructured by principal Lorne M. McKenzie, on the grounds that not enough intellectual leadership was being provided by the Stewards; boys ceased to automatically become a Steward because they held a certain office. Prior to this, the Board was composed of the three first-team captains of football, hockey and cricket, the senior officer of the Rifle Corps, and the two top students, one boarder (Head of the House) and one day boy (Head of the Town), and into the mid 1920s, four senior Prefects were added, followed by the editor of the College Times. Beyond questionable qualifications, this system also led to the problem that if a boy held more than one office there would be a vacancy on the Board. Letters written to the editor of the College Times complained about this appointment process, and claimed that the Stewards' only purpose was to hold the prayer hall in subjugation after the principal and masters had left (which they would do after a call of "Stewards will take charge"). At the beginning of 1946, ten boys were appointed by the principal, regardless of what position they did, or did not hold. Even after this, disorganization of the Board led to the creation of the Head Steward in 1954.
Into the 1970s, the role of the Stewards changed from one of authoritarian figures to counsellors for the younger boys. At the members' request, their lockers were moved from a separated location to be amongst those of the school's general population. Stewards also began to criticize the Cadet Corps at UCC, which was eventually disbanded in 1976.
Today the Board consists of ten Heads of House
Upper Canada College houses
Upper Canada College, an all male preparatory school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, like several other Commonwealth schools, divides its students into ten houses, each led by a Senior House Adviser and a student-elected Head of House. Heads of Houses are among the sixteen "stewards" who form the...
, elected by their respective House members, as well as six Stewards-with-portfolio and a Head Steward, who are elected by the entire student body. In 2007 the Sustainability Steward was created to help the school with environmental issues and maintain a healthy and sustainable student body.
The Current Board is as follows:
Head Steward- Ryan Manucha
Academic Steward- Luke Farewell
Athletic Steward- Peter Hannon
Creativity- Max Ledger
Social Steward- Mark Pentland
Community Service Steward- Nicholas Deng
Sustainability Steward- Lewie Krashinsky
Jackson's- Francois Kenny
Martland's- Pearce Wildi
McHugh's- Cole Fleming
Scadding's- Sam Frum
Mowbray's- Spencer Livingstone
Howard's- Patrick Smit
Bremner's- Shashwat Koirala
Orr's- Dylan Randle
Seaton's- David Lee
Wedd's- Loyan Issa
Notable UCC alumni who served as Stewards
- Michael IgnatieffMichael IgnatieffMichael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
- Leader of the Liberal Party of CanadaLiberal Party of CanadaThe Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
and Leader of the OppositionOfficial Opposition (Canada)In Canada, Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , commonly known as the Official Opposition, is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the House of Commons or a provincial legislative assembly that is not in government, either on its own or as part of a governing coalition...
in the Canadian House of CommonsCanadian House of CommonsThe House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
, served as Head of Wedd's House. - Leonard DickLeonard DickLeonard Dick is an award-winning television writer and producer who is currently writing for The Good Wife .Leonard was born in Toronto, Ontario, and attended high school at Upper Canada College, where he was elected head of Howard's House, and thus served on the Board of Stewards.Leonard attended...
- Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, Golden Globe and Writer's GuildWriters Guild of AmericaThe Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
Award winning producer and writer, served as Head of Howard's House. - William KilbournWilliam KilbournWilliam Morley Kilbourn, CM, FRSC was a Canadian author and historian in Toronto, Ontario. Kilbourn's topics cover history, biography, religion and the arts, with a focus on Toronto; he has penned over a dozen books. He was married to the Rev...
- FRSCRoyal Society of CanadaThe Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
, Oxford and HarvardHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
graduate, author, historian, executive of Canada CouncilCanada CouncilThe Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
and Canadian commission for UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, served as Head of Town - Andrew SaxtonAndrew SaxtonAndrew Saxton is a Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the electoral district of North Vancouver in the 2008 Canadian federal election and re-elected in 2011...
- Member of Parliament40th Canadian ParliamentThe 40th Canadian Parliament was in session from November 18, 2008 to March 26, 2011, and was the last Parliament of the longest-running minority government in Canadian history that began with the previous Parliament. The membership of its House of Commons was determined by the results of the 2008...
and Parliamentary SecretaryParliamentary SecretaryA Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the President of the Treasury Board, served as Head of Wedd's House.