Woburn Collegiate Institute
Encyclopedia
Woburn Collegiate Institute is a non-semestered secondary school
on Ellesmere Road in the Scarborough
district of Toronto
. Its motto is Let the Zeal for Learning Flourish.
taught at SS #6. He composed The Maple Leaf Forever
, which for many years was Canada's unofficial national anthem; hence the maple leaf in the school crest. By 1862, a larger school was required, so the frame structure was moved to Old Danforth Road and converted into a house.
In 1863, a brick school was built on the site where the frame building had stood. An attractive structure, it had cream-coloured quoining on the corners and around the gothic windows. In 1895, an addition to the back of the building expanded it to two rooms. A few years later, the convenience of two outdoor privies was finally added. The school operated this way until 1956. By then, though, the old school just could not keep up with the demands of modern education. SS #6 was boarded up and the students were sent to Golf Road P.S. Consideration was given to turning SS #6 into a museum, but by 1963 extensive repairs were needed. Finally, just before the new Woburn C.I. was opened, the old school was demolished. During the demolition the 1863 date stone was discovered to be, in fact, a tombstone for Thomas Hubbard
, who died in 1850. It is believed that a stonemason made an error on the tombstone and then decided to use the other side as a datestone for a cost-conscious school board. The school's bell was also salvaged and presented to the new school. It became a tradition of the graduating Grade 13 class to steal the bell. (The bell has since vanished; it was borrowed by the Scarborough Board of Education but returned to Woburn Jr., a nearby elementary school. There, early in 1980 or 1981, persons unknown picked it up.)
Woburn CI began in 1947, when it was established that Scarborough needed more schools for its growing population.
In 1963, the old SS #6 building was demolished and Woburn Collegiate Institute opened.
entitled "Soma". Identical statues can be found inside the Yonge-Eglinton Centre and York University
's Accolade East building. Behind the school is a 400-m track, football field and goalposts for outdoor sports activities.
The school has been the home for Scarborough's gifted programme
for exceptional students since 1978.
The SAC represents Woburn students at the school and in the community. The SAC organizes social activities and encourages school spirit. In the past SAC events have included dances, Charity Week activities, Spirit Week, Carnival, Woburn's Got Talent, Spirit Days, Grade 12 BBQ and the Formal. Funding for all clubs and most sports teams comes from the sale of SAC/ID cards and from fund-raising activities.
s (IMO). Canada first began sending the now six-member team to the event in 1981. Beginning with Woburn's first student representation at the event in 1986, over the next 18 years Woburn would be represented at the IMO an impressive eleven times, exceeding the representations of more famous academically elite high schools such as Earl Haig Secondary School
(seven times), and Upper Canada College (five times).
s (IChO) and International Physics Olympiad
s (IPhO).
(at which Woburn has been represented a total of thirteen times). Topics covered and types of problems approached vary depending on competition entries.
The learning methods used vary as well: sometimes students meet in study groups with their leader teaching them and solving practice sheets or programming problems, sometimes they are taught by one of the senior students, sometimes they work on the problem as a team, and sometimes they are taught by their coaches.
PEG students meet after school typically two nights per week to prepare for competitions in programming. Every year, members take part in competitions at provincial, national and international levels. PEG additionally started its own competition, called Woburn Challenge
, to draw in both students from other schools and university students. This contest had grown to become province-wide (occasionally wider). It was discontinued in 2002.
Since its formation in the early 1990s, PEG has participated in a large number of competitions.
The ensembles of the music programme have regularly been invited to perform at national-level competitions and often make excursions to the US, including Orlando
, Florida
in mid-May, 2006. The Wind Ensemble and Madrigal Choir have done particularly well in competitions, consistently placing at or near the top of the standings. On February 17, 2006, the Wind Ensemble travelled to the Musicfest competition held at the Le Parc Hotel, in Markham, Ontario
, playing at the highest level, B500. The band received a gold rating.
Woburn's music department is student-represented by way of the Music Council, a body of elected students who help to keep the programme running smoothly. The Council plans and runs many events and fundraisers through the year.
Any student who wants to direct a play is automatically accepted. A month before the festival, there is an open audition during which actors perform short scenes that are either improved or done with only a short time to prepare. Directors request the actors they want, and the organizers assign actors to plays (often the most popular actors are assigned to several plays in smaller roles). The festival itself lasts for one to three evenings with two to four plays per night. There are usually short scenes between plays.
Every year the festival has a theme chosen by the organizers. Sometimes the plays themselves are sometimes related to the theme, but normally the theme only applies to the short scenes between plays while the next cast is setting up. These scenes are usually directed or starring the MCs.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
on Ellesmere Road in the Scarborough
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
district of 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...
. Its motto is Let the Zeal for Learning Flourish.
History
In the early 19th century, education in Scarborough was not very well established. There was only one school, set up in a primitive building. By 1847 however, Scarborough had grown to the point where something more organized was required, so 16 School Sections were established; SS # 6 included the Woburn Community. At this time, a school, also designated SS # 6, was erected on Markham Road, just north of the 2nd Concession (Ellesmere Road). This one story frame structure was 23' x 33'. Several windows provided light and a wood stove provided heat. Between 1850 and 1862, Alexander MuirAlexander Muir
Alexander Muir was a Canadian songwriter, poet, soldier, and school headmaster. He was the composer of The Maple Leaf Forever, which he wrote in October 1867 to celebrate the Confederation of Canada.-Early life:...
taught at SS #6. He composed The Maple Leaf Forever
The Maple Leaf Forever
"The Maple Leaf Forever" is a Canadian song written by Alexander Muir in 1867, the year of Canada's Confederation. He wrote the work after serving with The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada in the Battle of Ridgeway against the Fenians in 1866....
, which for many years was Canada's unofficial national anthem; hence the maple leaf in the school crest. By 1862, a larger school was required, so the frame structure was moved to Old Danforth Road and converted into a house.
In 1863, a brick school was built on the site where the frame building had stood. An attractive structure, it had cream-coloured quoining on the corners and around the gothic windows. In 1895, an addition to the back of the building expanded it to two rooms. A few years later, the convenience of two outdoor privies was finally added. The school operated this way until 1956. By then, though, the old school just could not keep up with the demands of modern education. SS #6 was boarded up and the students were sent to Golf Road P.S. Consideration was given to turning SS #6 into a museum, but by 1963 extensive repairs were needed. Finally, just before the new Woburn C.I. was opened, the old school was demolished. During the demolition the 1863 date stone was discovered to be, in fact, a tombstone for Thomas Hubbard
Thomas Hubbard
Thomas Frederick Hubbard was a British coal miner and politician. He represented Kirkcaldy Burghs in Parliament for fifteen years, being a somewhat low-profile Member but often speaking in support of better conditions for pensioners.-Origins:A native of Kirkcaldy, Hubbard attended only the local...
, who died in 1850. It is believed that a stonemason made an error on the tombstone and then decided to use the other side as a datestone for a cost-conscious school board. The school's bell was also salvaged and presented to the new school. It became a tradition of the graduating Grade 13 class to steal the bell. (The bell has since vanished; it was borrowed by the Scarborough Board of Education but returned to Woburn Jr., a nearby elementary school. There, early in 1980 or 1981, persons unknown picked it up.)
Woburn CI began in 1947, when it was established that Scarborough needed more schools for its growing population.
In 1963, the old SS #6 building was demolished and Woburn Collegiate Institute opened.
Campus
Woburn is a single building, containing 72 classrooms, 2 large gymnasia (which may each be divided into two smaller sections), a weight training room, a dance studio, an auto shop, two music rooms, two tech shops, and a library (resource center). The school also has a main office, a guidance office (student services) and an office for each of its departments. The building encompasses a rectangular garden in the centre, referred to as the "quad", which is famously known throughout the school for a peculiar statue by Romanian-Canadian sculptor Sorel EtrogSorel Etrog
Sorel Etrog, is a Romanian-born Canadian artist, writer, and philosopher best known for his work as a sculptor.Born in Iaşi, Romania, in 1933, Sorel Etrog's formal art training began in 1945. In 1950, his family immigrated to Israel, where beginning in 1953 he studied at the Institute of Painting...
entitled "Soma". Identical statues can be found inside the Yonge-Eglinton Centre and York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
's Accolade East building. Behind the school is a 400-m track, football field and goalposts for outdoor sports activities.
Students
, 1408 students are in attendance at Woburn. Of these, 683 (49%) are female and 725 (51%) are male. 908 (64%) have a primary language other than English, and 17% have been living in Canada for five or fewer years. Over 70 different languages and many cultures are represented at Woburn.The school has been the home for Scarborough's gifted programme
Gifted education
Gifted education is a broad term for special practices, procedures and theories used in the education of children who have been identified as gifted or talented...
for exceptional students since 1978.
Student Activity Council (SAC)
The SAC is selected by the Woburn students:- to represent their interests
- to support and fund their sports and clubs
- to organize special activities within the school
The SAC represents Woburn students at the school and in the community. The SAC organizes social activities and encourages school spirit. In the past SAC events have included dances, Charity Week activities, Spirit Week, Carnival, Woburn's Got Talent, Spirit Days, Grade 12 BBQ and the Formal. Funding for all clubs and most sports teams comes from the sale of SAC/ID cards and from fund-raising activities.
Prefects
Prefects are the good-will ambassadors of Woburn. Working closely with faculty, the Prefects of Woburn are responsible for making sure school events run smoothly, such as Welcome Day, photo days, and other various fairs such as the career and volunteer fairs. Furthermore, the Prefects also plan an annual event for the children at Woburn Jr. called Springfest.Woburn Robotics
Woburn Robotics is an extracurricular high school team based at Woburn Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Canada, which gathers every year to take part in the FIRST Robotics Competition, an international contest that teams students up with engineers and sponsors from local businesses to develop skills in science, technology, marketing, and leadership. In six intense weeks the team brainstorms, designs, constructs, and tests its 120-pound robot for the competition, whose objective is different every year. The robots are then immediately shipped off to compete in other tournaments.Mathematics
The flagship subject of Woburn academics is a part of many Woburn student's lives, and it is rightfully considered an extracurricular activity in itself. Perhaps the best method to describe Woburn's strength in mathematics is to look at the school's representation in the International Mathematical OlympiadInternational Mathematical Olympiad
The International Mathematical Olympiad is an annual six-problem, 42-point mathematical olympiad for pre-collegiate students and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except in 1980...
s (IMO). Canada first began sending the now six-member team to the event in 1981. Beginning with Woburn's first student representation at the event in 1986, over the next 18 years Woburn would be represented at the IMO an impressive eleven times, exceeding the representations of more famous academically elite high schools such as Earl Haig Secondary School
Earl Haig Secondary School
Earl Haig Secondary School is a public high school with a student body of about 2,300 students in Willowdale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school's principal is Renata Gonsalves.-History:...
(seven times), and Upper Canada College (five times).
Physics and Chemistry
In addition to the IMO, Woburn students have also gone on to represent Canada in the International Chemistry OlympiadInternational Chemistry Olympiad
The International Chemistry Olympiad is an annual academic competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads....
s (IChO) and International Physics Olympiad
International Physics Olympiad
The International Physics Olympiad is an annual physics competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first IPhO was held in Warsaw, Poland in 1967....
s (IPhO).
Programming Enrichment Group (PEG)
Woburn is noted for its excellence in computer science. PEG is a group of students who meet on a weekly basis after school to study advanced computer science topics, discuss algorithms and approaches to difficult problems, often on the level of the International Olympiad in InformaticsInternational Olympiad in Informatics
The International Olympiad in Informatics is an annual computer science competition for secondary school students. The first IOI was held in 1989 in Pravetz, Bulgaria....
(at which Woburn has been represented a total of thirteen times). Topics covered and types of problems approached vary depending on competition entries.
The learning methods used vary as well: sometimes students meet in study groups with their leader teaching them and solving practice sheets or programming problems, sometimes they are taught by one of the senior students, sometimes they work on the problem as a team, and sometimes they are taught by their coaches.
PEG students meet after school typically two nights per week to prepare for competitions in programming. Every year, members take part in competitions at provincial, national and international levels. PEG additionally started its own competition, called Woburn Challenge
Woburn Challenge
The Woburn Challenge is a programming competition organized by high-school students of Woburn Collegiate Institute, in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. The contest is similar in structure to the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest...
, to draw in both students from other schools and university students. This contest had grown to become province-wide (occasionally wider). It was discontinued in 2002.
Since its formation in the early 1990s, PEG has participated in a large number of competitions.
Woburn Music
The school is notable for its music programme, consisting of several hundred students in band and choir classes, a Madrigal Choir, a concert choir, a Chamber Choir, two concert bands, a Wind Ensemble, two jazz bands and a combo.The ensembles of the music programme have regularly been invited to perform at national-level competitions and often make excursions to the US, including Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in mid-May, 2006. The Wind Ensemble and Madrigal Choir have done particularly well in competitions, consistently placing at or near the top of the standings. On February 17, 2006, the Wind Ensemble travelled to the Musicfest competition held at the Le Parc Hotel, in Markham, Ontario
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
, playing at the highest level, B500. The band received a gold rating.
Woburn's music department is student-represented by way of the Music Council, a body of elected students who help to keep the programme running smoothly. The Council plans and runs many events and fundraisers through the year.
Woburn Rookie Drama Festival
The Woburn Rookie Drama Festival (usually just called Rookie) is a festival of short plays held annually every spring at Woburn. The most notable part of the festival is that all of its plays are directed, acted, crewed, and sometimes written entirely by students with no teacher assistance. Furthermore, students do all of the organization required to put on the festival each year and act as Masters of Ceremony. At over 40 years old, it is among the longest running high school clubs in the city. The first Woburn Rookie Drama Festival took place in the spring of 1963 and was overseen by then drama teacher John Wilcox.Any student who wants to direct a play is automatically accepted. A month before the festival, there is an open audition during which actors perform short scenes that are either improved or done with only a short time to prepare. Directors request the actors they want, and the organizers assign actors to plays (often the most popular actors are assigned to several plays in smaller roles). The festival itself lasts for one to three evenings with two to four plays per night. There are usually short scenes between plays.
Every year the festival has a theme chosen by the organizers. Sometimes the plays themselves are sometimes related to the theme, but normally the theme only applies to the short scenes between plays while the next cast is setting up. These scenes are usually directed or starring the MCs.
Notable alumni
- Tyler Anthony - Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
assistant coach - Brad DuguidBrad DuguidBrad Duguid is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Scarborough Centre and is the province's Minister of Economic Development and Innovation in the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty for the Ontario Liberal...
- Liberal MPP for Scarborough CentreScarborough Centre (provincial electoral district)Scarborough Centre is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1963.It consists of the part of the Scarborough district of the City of Toronto bounded:... - Holly HortonHolly HortonHolly Horton is a Canadian sportscaster who worked for TSN from July 16, 2004 to October 30, 2011. She co-hosted SportsCentre at the 11 PM and 2 AM broadcast on weekends along with Bryan Mudryk...
- Sports broadcaster for TSNThe Sports NetworkThe Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels... - Charlie HuddyCharlie HuddyCharles William Huddy is a former NHL defenceman and current assistant coach of the Winnipeg Jets. He is also one of only seven Edmonton Oilers to be a member of all 5 of the franchise's Stanley Cup-winning teams 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988,1990.His greatest success came with the Oilers with whom he...
- Former NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
hockey player - Steve KouleasSteve KouleasSteve Kouleas is a Canadian television anchor, radio host and hockey broadcaster who currently works for TSN...
- Sports broadcaster for The Score - Des McAnuffDes McAnuffDesmond McAnuff is the Canadian-American artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and director of musical theatre of such Broadway productions as Big River, The Who's Tommy and Jersey Boys.-Biography:...
- Artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival - Bob McKenzieBob McKenzie (broadcaster)Robert "Bob" McKenzie is a Canadian hockey commentator who has covered ice hockey since joining TSN in the late 1980s....
- Sports broadcaster for TSNThe Sports NetworkThe Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels... - Steve Page - Former member of the band Barenaked LadiesBarenaked LadiesBarenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
- Steve Payne - Former NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
hockey player - Prakash JohnPrakash JohnPrakash John is a Canadian rock bassist.Born in Bombay, India, John was a student at the Cathedral and John Connon School, enrolling at the age of four in 1951. He migrated to Toronto in 1960....
- Rock bassist - Matthew John - Political strategist and local celebrity
- Fabian Rayne - Former CFLCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
football player - Richard Rock - 1976 Canadian Olympian (track and field)
- Ed RobertsonEd RobertsonLloyd Edward Elwyn Robertson , better known as Ed Robertson, is the Canadian lead singer, as well as a guitarist and songwriter in the band, Barenaked Ladies...
- Member of the band Barenaked LadiesBarenaked LadiesBarenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto... - Jeffrey S. RosenthalJeffrey S. RosenthalJeffrey S. Rosenthal is an award-winning Canadian statistician and author. He is a professor in the University of Toronto's Department of Statistics. He received the CRM-SSC Prize in 2006 and the COPSS Presidents' Award in 2007...
- University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
statistics professor and author - Monika SchnarreMonika SchnarreMonika Schnarre is a Canadian model, actress, and television host.A native of Scarborough, Ontario, Schnarre was discovered by Toronto's Judy Welch Modeling agency. She achieved international recognition at the age of 14 when she won the Ford Models "Supermodel of the World" contest in 1986,...
- Model, actress and television host - Leslie SeaforthMore Or LesMore Or Les , is a Canadian rapper, busker, DJ, producer, and a member of the crew. He currently resides in his home town of Toronto, Ontario.- Career :...
- Rapper, DJ, and producer known as More Or Les - Hannah Sung - Broadcaster, journalist, and former MuchMusicMuchMusicMuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
VJ - Sudz SutherlandSudz SutherlandDavid "Sudz" Sutherland is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. His credits include the films Doomstown, Love, Sex and Eating the Bones and Guns, as well as episodes of Da Kink in My Hair, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Wild Roses and Jozi-H...
- Film director and screenwriter - Jovanni Sy - Actor and former Side EffectsSide Effects (TV series)Side Effects was a Canadian television series, which aired from February, 1994 to January, 1996 on CBC Television.A hospital-themed drama created by Brenda Greenberg and Guy Mullally, the cast included Elizabeth Shepherd, Albert Schultz, Joseph Ziegler, Jovanni Sy and Arsinée Khanjian....
co-star - Brad TapperBrad TapperBrad Tapper is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Atlanta Thrashers over parts of three seasons.-Playing career:...
- Former NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
hockey player - Dennis TimbrellDennis TimbrellDennis Roy Timbrell is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of William Davis and Frank Miller.-Early life and career:...
- Former Conservative MPP and Ontario cabinet minister - Muhammad Saad Yousuf - Researcher at Sunnybrook Research Institute