St. Michael's College School

St. Michael's College School, (also known as St. Michael's), is a private all-boys Roman Catholic day school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Administered by the Basilian Fathers, it is the largest school of its kind in Canada, with an enrolment of approximately 1,000 students from grades seven to twelve.[5][4] It is known for its high standard of athletics and academics, notably its ice hockey, football and basketball programs. The hockey program has graduated numerous future National Hockey League ice hockey players. The basketball and football programs have graduated multiple NBA, NFL, and CFL players. St. Michael's is the brother school of Holy Name of Mary College School, an independent, Catholic all-girls school in Mississauga.[6] The school was part of the Metropolitan Separate School Board from 1967 to 1985, but has subsequently operated within the Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario Athletic Association.

St. Michael's College School
Address
St. Michael's College School
St. Michael's College School
St. Michael's College School
1515 Bathurst Street

Forest Hill, Toronto
,
Ontario
,
M5P 3H4

Canada
Coordinates43.684431°N 79.417741°W / 43.684431; -79.417741
Information
School typeCatholic Private High school
Catholic Private Elementary school
MottoDoce Me Bonitatem et Disciplinam et Scientiam
(Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge)
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
(Basilian Fathers)
Established1852[1]
Sister schoolHoly Name of Mary College School
School boardMetropolitan Separate School Board (1967–1985)
Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario
School number834696
PresidentFr. Andrew Leung, CSB[2]
PrincipalMr. James McKinnon[3]
Faculty83
Grades7-12
Enrollment1,000[4]
LanguageEnglish, French, Italian, Latin, Spanish
CampusUrban
Colour(s)Light blue, Navy          (referred to as "double blue")
MascotBubba Lou Blue Leprechaun
NewspaperThe Blue Herald
Public transit accessSubway: St. Clair West
Websitewww.stmichaelscollegeschool.com

History

The Congregation of St. Basil (Basilian Fathers) was established as a religious congregation in France in 1822. As a result of the closing of seminaries in France during the French Revolution, two diocesan priests opened a secret school in the mountains of central France.

After several years of operation and a change in the French laws, ten priests serving there openly bound themselves into a religious community. They reasoned that the school, by then located in the nearby city of Annonay, would have a better chance of continuing if it were conducted by a religious congregation that could accept and train new members to continue its operation after the founding fathers’ retirement.

The original members chose St. Basil the Great, a fourth-century teacher, bishop, and doctor of the Church, to be the namesake of the new community.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, the French Basilians came to Canada on an invitation from Bishop de Charbonnel of Toronto. The Bishop saw the need for Catholic schools for the young people of his parishes, especially at the high school level. In his plans to bring Catholic education to more of his people, the Bishop immediately thought of his own education in France. He had been educated at the College of Annonay near Lyon, a school established by the Basilian Fathers.

St. Michael's College School

In September 1852, St. Michael’s College opened. It quickly outgrew its original facilities in the basement of the Bishop’s Palace on Church Street. In 1856, it was moved to Clover Hill, a property donated to the Basilian Fathers by the Honourable John Elmsley. Clover Hill was outside the city at that time, in an area now bounded by Bay, St. Joseph, and St. Mary’s streets. In 1881, St. Michael’s was affiliated with St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto for post secondary education.

The school specifically targeted Irish immigrants. The high school section expanded much more rapidly than the College section. In 1902, a new wing was added to the original building and the high school remained in this building until 1950.

In the years after World War II, it became apparent that the Bay Street buildings were not equal to the challenge of serving a growing student body. At this point the high school section was separated from the College. In September 1950, St. Michael’s College School opened its doors in a new building at Bathurst Street and St. Clair Avenue, where it is situated today.

In 1967, St. Michael’s College School entered into partnership with the Metropolitan Separate School Board (now today as the Toronto Catholic District School Board) and to educate the Board’s students in grades 9 and 10. This decision made St. Michael’s both a public and private school, which lasted for approximately 20 years. In September 1985, the Basilian Fathers decided to refuse provincial aid beyond grade 10 and return St. Michael’s to its roots as a fully independent, Roman Catholic high school.

From 1985-89 the school went private in phases.[7]

In 1995, a major capital expansion program upgraded the school to include a new east wing complete with modern classrooms, a new library (Odette Library), music and visual arts facilities, a design and technology facility, a new 250-seat lecture hall, and an expanded gymnasium. In September 1998, St. Michael’s College School expanded its academic program to include a grade 7-8 program. The Preparatory school was previously active during the early 1900s.

On September 15, 2002, St. Michael’s College School celebrated its 150th Anniversary.[8]

St Michael's Centre for the Arts opened in 2010

The school’s athletic stadium was retrofitted in September 2004 to include a new, state-of-the-art athletic field (artificial grass), an electronic scoreboard, stadium lighting, and an air supported structure that covers a third of the field for use during the winter months. The Performing Arts Centre was the fourth and final phase of this revitalization project, completed in the spring of 2010.[9] The St. Michael's College School Centre for the Arts opened in 2010, and hosts school stage productions of musicals and dramas.

In November 2018, police began an investigation, after learning of two separate sexual assaults at the school.[10] The school subsequently suspended and expelled a number of students.[11][12] Two additional videos subsequently surfaced, which the Toronto Police Service described as showing a threatening occurrence and assault with a weapon.[13] Three of the seven students charged appeared in youth court in downtown Toronto on October 3, 2019, and pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault with a weapon and assault with a weapon, stemming from three incidents in 2018. One of the teens has also pleaded guilty to a charge of distributing pornographic material. One other case has been dismissed, Two more cases are inactive, though authorities won't explain what that means, and one case will go to trial. A former student, believed to be a victim, is also suing the school, three former students, the board, the Basilian Fathers, the coaches, and administration for $1.65-million.[14][15] On December 19, 2019, three former students were sentenced in court to two years probation.

Campus

The school's campus is at Bathurst Street and St. Clair Avenue at the edge of Toronto's Forest Hill neighbourhood. The main school building was designed by Canadian architect Ernest Cormier and completed in 1950. Its most recognizable features are the distinctive chapel tower and yellow brickwork, similar to Cormier's earlier work at the Université de Montréal.

In the late 1990s, a major expansion programme was undertaken, with two major academic wings and a gymnasium extension added to the original building. The additions contain classrooms tailored to the science, art and music programmes, a substantial lecture hall, several computer laboratories, and a large library. An outdoor courtyard adjacent to the cafeteria overlooked by classrooms is popular for major school events. The school's residence wing, originally built to accommodate boarding students, functioned as a Basilian house until 2008 when it was removed to make room for the school's new "state-of-the-art" performing arts centre. The $10 million facility was completed in the spring of 2010.[9]

The outside of St. Michael's College School Arena.

There are a number of sports facilities located on campus, including the St. Michael's College School Arena. The school's basketball court is named after former vice-principal, teacher, and coach, Paul Dignan. In 2005, a major overhaul of the stadium was undertaken. Renamed in honour of its benefactor, alumnus Eugene Melnyk, it features an artificial turf field, a rubberized running track, and lighting for evening events. During the winter, an inflatable dome covers part of the track and field to allow for use in adverse weather conditions.

Athletics
St. Michael's Buzzers host Oakville Blades in the St. Michael's College School Arena, 7 January 2018.

Over 90 St. Michael's Majors alumni have played in the National Hockey League.[16] From the Majors, there are ten Hockey Hall of Fame inductees: Bobby Bauer, Turk Broda, Gerry Cheevers, Dick Duff, Tim Horton, Red Kelly, Dave Keon, Ted Lindsay, Frank Mahovlich, and Joe Primeau.[17] Additionally, Hall of Famer Reg Noble played for St. Michael's before the team adopted the Majors name.[18]

The school's flagship hockey team, the Toronto St. Michael's Majors, won the Memorial Cup four times before ceasing operation in 1961. The Majors name was revived as an expansion franchise in the Ontario Hockey League from 1996 to 2012, then sold off to become the Mississauga Steelheads. The school also operates the St. Michael's Buzzers, at the Tier II Junior "A" level. The school was featured on CBC's annual Hockey Day in Canada on January 13, 2007, because it was celebrating 100 years of hockey at the school.

Eugene Melnyk Sports Field

The junior and senior football teams is called Kerry Blues. The Jr. Kerry Blues won their third Ontario Regional Invitational. (2002, 2004, 2008) In 2008, the Senior Kerry Blues won their seventh Metro Bowl, making the St. Michael's Kerry Blues the most bowl-winning team in Ontario. They have won the Metro Bowl three years in a row. There have been many Kerry Blues Football alumni that have gone on to win the CIAU National Football Championship with their respective universities. The 1993 Vanier Cup Champion University of Toronto Varsity Blues had several SMC Alumni: Christopher Tyndorf, Lou Tiro and Peter Woo. National Football League players Glen Young,[19] O.J. Santiago[20] and Mike Labinjo,[21][22] each of whom have competed in the Super Bowl, played football while attending St. Michael’s.

The school competes in the Basil Bowl against other Basilian high schools.[23]

Notable former faculty

Notable faculty

Notable alumni

St. Michael's alumni include many athletes, politicians and media personalities, some of whom are publicly known on multiple stages.

Academia

Athletes

Professional athlete among alumni, include numerous CFL and NHL players, some of whom are also noted sports coaches.

National Hockey League (NHL) players

National Football League (NFL) players

Canadian Football League (CFL) players

National Basketball Association (NBA) players

Other athletes

Business

Media

Politics

See also

References
  2. "St. Michael's College School announces resignations of President and Principal, enabling focus on healing and change" (PDF). St. Michael's College School. November 22, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 22, 2018.
  3. "School News - St. Michael's College School". www.stmichaelscollegeschool.com.
  5. "St. Michael's College School - Toronto Private Day School". www.ourkids.net.
  7. Daly, Rita. "A crowd of parents and students lashed out at Metro ..." Toronto Star. October 15, 1993. News p. A26; retrieved September 23, 2013.
  10. "Events". www.cbc.ca.
  11. Fox, Chris (2018-11-14). "Police investigating alleged assault at Toronto private school, students expelled". CTV Toronto News. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  12. "Police investigate alleged sexual assault involving students at St. Michael's College". CBC News. 2018-11-14. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  13. "Boy smacked with belt in 1 of 2 new St. Michael's College videos investigated by police". Rogers Media. November 20, 2018. “What we are looking at is two additional videos turned over to us,” said Inspector Dominic Sinopoli, Unit Commander of Sex Crimes for Toronto police. “One of the videos is going to be classified as a threatening occurrence and the secondary video will be classified as an assault with a weapon.”
  14. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/st-michaels-college-school-shared-on-social-media-1.5307426
  15. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ont-st-michaels-1.5325660
  16. "NHL Player Search -- Players by Team -- St. Michael's Majors". Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  17. "St. Michael's Majors -- Legends of Hockey -- The Legends". Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  18. "St. Michael's College -- Legends of Hockey -- The Legends". Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  19. "Wayback Machine". web.archive.org. 19 December 2012.
  20. Edward Zawadzki. The Ultimate Canadian Sports Trivia Book. 2. p. 52. ISBN 9781554880270. OCLC 180772797. Archived from the original on Apr 3, 2019.
  21. "Obituary of Michael "Mike" Labinjo - Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Mi..." archive.is. 3 April 2019. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019.
  22. Tower St. Michael's College School 1998. p. 45, 102. Archived from the original on Apr 3, 2019.
  23. "Basil Bowl Strengthens Bond of Brotherhood between Basilian High Schools". Basilian.org. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
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