Bishop's College School

[1] This article is about the school in Canada. See also Diocesan College (Bishops) in Cape Town, South Africa.

Bishop's College School
School Campus, Bishop's College School
Address
80 Chemin Moulton Hill
Lennoxville, Quebec, J1M 1Z8
Canada
Coordinates 45°22′17″N 71°50′33″W / 45.3715°N 71.8424°W / 45.3715; -71.8424Coordinates: 45°22′17″N 71°50′33″W / 45.3715°N 71.8424°W / 45.3715; -71.8424
Information
School type Independent, day and boarding, university-preparatory high school
Motto Recti Cultus Pectora Roborant
(Correct learning strengthens character)
Religious affiliation(s) Anglican Church of Canada
Established 1836
Faculty 40
Number of students 220
Campus 270-acre (1.1 km2) campus.
Colour(s) Purple and white
Mascot Bears
Website www.bishopscollegeschool.com

Bishop's College School is a private school in Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada.

The school was established in 1836 as the Lennoxville Classical School by the Rev. Lucius Doolittle (1800-1862). Traditionally, the school had catered to the sons of the residents of the Golden Square Mile and as a feeder to Bishop's University.

BCS became co-educational in 1973 after merging with King's Hall Compton, a nearby girls' school. Bishop's is a culturally diverse, bilingual, co-educational, independent boarding and day school for Grades 7 to 12 (Forms II to VII). It is located on a 270-acre (1.1 km2) campus in Lennoxville, a borough of Sherbrooke, in the heart of Québec's historic Eastern Townships. The school has been a member of the Round Square since 1986 and the BCS Cadet Corps #2 - the oldest continuous service corps in Canada - has been affiliated with the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada since 1936.

History

Bishop's College School was founded in 1836 as the Lennoxville Classical School by the Reverend Lucius Doolittle, who also served as the first Headmaster. Back then, the School was housed in the St. James' Parsonage and within four years twenty-three boys were enrolled. Tuition fees were set at 15 shillings per quarter in the Junior Forms and 25 shillings for the Upper Forms; board was £25 per annum (about $130 per year).

Alfred Arthur Cox (architect) designed several buildings on campus including: Dining Halls (1899), Kitchen (1899), addition to the Library (1899), new lecture rooms (1899).[2]

Hundreds of former students volunteered and fought for Canada during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. Each year the names of those who fell (65 boys and three masters in the First World War, 62 boys in the Second World War and one master in the Korean War) are remembered during the School's Remembrance Day Service. A stained glass window and War memorial plaques were erected as lists of honours for the Old boys.[3]

Girls became an integral part of school life in the 1972-73 school year when BCS and the nearby King's Hall Compton amalgamated. In 1995, Nancy Layton was appointed as Head of School, becoming the first female Head of a coeducational boarding school in Canada.

Today, BCS serves approximately 220 students with a faculty of over 40 educators. The campus is composed of 26 buildings set on 270 acres (1.1 km2), including playing fields and woodlands. There are students from, among others, Canada, Vietnam, China, Korea, USA, England, France, Mexico, South America, Bahamas, Bermuda, Germany, Japan and Thailand

Abuse allegations[4]

In 2007, a class action was launched by several former students who alleged physical, mental and sexual abuse by masters, head boys, and prefects during the 50s and 60s. One of the main perpetrators was Harold Forster, an Anglican priest and the school's chaplain and choir director. 43 known victims came forward before the class action was settled in early 2010 by the school. Reverend Forster was killed in a train accident in England in the mid-60s. In 2013, the school owned up to the abuse in a private ceremony on school land.

BCS Cadet Corps #2

BCS Cadet Corps #2, the oldest continuous service corps in Canada, was formed in 1861 as the Volunteer Rifle Company. Today, the Corps plays a major role in the lives of students, school and community.

The program, compulsory for all students, is organized and run almost entirely by senior cadets. Instruction is given in skills such as first aid, outdoor education and service-type activities.

Recruits participate in Cadets every second Thursday of the year, as well as attending a 2-day camp at the start of the year. Returning cadets carry out and organize a number of service-orientated activities. They include participation in the School Bands, literary magazine Inscape, the Round Square and Outreach programs, the environmental Green Group, Adventure Training, Community Services and the Yearbook.

Bishop's College School is affiliated with the Black Watch Regiment of Montreal. In early May each year, the Corps sends two platoons and the Colour Party to march with the Regiment in their Church Parade. The Annual Corps review is held on the Friday of May long weekend; this event includes demonstrations by the drill team and the band.

Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Bishop's College School offers all students, beginning in Form IV, the opportunity to earn The Duke of Edinburgh's Award which is an international programme that operates in more than 100 countries.

BCS has been a member of the Round Square Conference of Schools since 1986.

Introduced to Canada in 1963, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award is open to all young people between the ages of 14 and 25. The Award currently attracts some 30,000 participants annually and is operational in all 10 Provinces and 3 Territories.

There are three levels to the award: Bronze, Silver, and Gold – each with an increasing degree of commitment. Within each level there are four sections.

Houses

BCS consists of 9 houses, 2 of them being for day students, and the remainder for boarders:

  • Ross Boys (Day Students)
  • Ross Girls (Day Students)
  • Glass (Senior Girls)
  • Gillard (Junior & Senior Girls)
  • Grier South (Junior Boys)
  • Grier North (Senior Boys)
  • McNaughton (Senior Boys)
  • Smith (Senior Boys)
  • Williams (Senior Boys)

All of the houses are named after former BCS headmasters or a famous alumni/staff member of the school. Williams House has constantly switched between being a boy's house and a girl's house over the years.

Athletics

BCS sports a wide range of interscholastic teams at varying skill levels, as well as intramural and non-competitive activities to provide something for everyone. In recent years BCS teams have won championships in basketball, football, rugby, soccer, swimming and tennis. Part of this success is due to the first-rate coaching in all sports. BCS athletes also benefit from outstanding facilities, including a complete fitness centre, a 40-foot (12 m) climbing wall, new squash and tennis courts, and Canada's oldest indoor hockey rink.

In 2008, Stephan Lebeau, a former professional hockey player and experienced youth hockey coach, joined BCS as the coordinator of hockey, to create an elite hockey programme at the School. In 2012-2013, BCS Hockey programme host two teams (U17 and U13) which are both playing in the Ligue de Hockey Préparatoire Scolaire (LHPS).

School traditions

  • School hymn is Jerusalem "And Did Those Feet/In Ancient Time" which is sung at the closing ceremonies for each semester
  • "God be with you ('til we meet again)" is sung at the final chapel ceremony the night before the graduation ceremony
  • Old Boys Weekend, an opportunity for alumni to return to the school and is held in the fall
  • Athletics have a strong rivalry with Stanstead College, the nearby English private school, and Alexander Galt Regional High School, the nearby English public school.

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ↑ Montreal Gazette, the Globe and Mail, the Sherbrooke Record, CBC, Harrow Observor
  2. ↑ http://www.dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/architects/view/1626 Alfred Arthur Cox (architect)
  3. ↑ http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/nic-inm/sm-rm/mdsr-rdr-eng.asp?PID=7728%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D War Memorials
  4. ↑ The Montreal Gazette; The Harrow Observer; The Globe and Mail; CBC-TV and Radio; CJAD, CTV-TV; Global TV; The National Post; The Sherbrooke Record; La Tribune, Le Journal de Montreal; https://ca.ratemyteachers.com/bishops-college-school/36619-s/stats, The BCS Bulletin;
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