Bishop's College School

Bishop's as the Grammar School at Little Forks, 1885 in Bishop's University

Bishop's College School was founded in 1836 as the Lennoxville Classical School by the Rev. Lucius Doolittle (1800–1862) and assisted by Edward Chapman (M.A., Cambridge) (Headmaster 1842)[7] [8] for "the education of sons of English Gentlemen",[18] [19] BCS was modeled on the great public schools of Britain, especially Eton College but providing a bilingual environment and specifically in an immersion of the Canadian culture.[20][4] 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; the board was £25 per annum (about $130 per year). BU established in 1843 as Bishop's College and affiliated with the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in 1853, the school remained under the Anglican church's direction from its founding until 1947.[21][22]At the beginning of the establishment, the main students came from the merchant/political families of the Gault, McConnell, MacLernon, Price, Molson, MacDougall, McNaughton in the Golden Square Mile residential area of Montreal.

James Williams (bishop) (1825–1892) graduated from Pembroke College, Oxford in 1851 was appointed headmaster of the Lennoxville classical school (Bishop's College School then) in 1857. In 1863 he was consecrated 4th Anglican bishop of Québec. He participated vigorously in the development of the Protestant public school system in Québec and collaborated with Sir Alexander Galt in drawing up Section 93 of the British North American Act (Constitution Act, 1867) which conferred upon Parliament the responsibility of protecting the educational rights of minorities.[23]

BCS Choir in BU Chapel 1889

BCS Records for the Visit of King George VI

"Bishop" in its name comes from the Bishop of Quebec, George Mountain (DCL, Oxford) who was also the first Principal of McGill College from 1824 to 1835 and the founder of Bishop's University.[24] It appears to have been in Bishop Mountain's mind to establish a Grammar School in connection with the infant Bishop's University, and in the original Prospectus having reference to the foundation of the College, the clause five grant BCS the BU affiliation status: [25]

"A Grammar School to be attached to the College, with one or more masters as may be required, who shall receive their appointments in like manner (i.e., to the Principal, and Professors)—The School to comprehend a special provision for the education of youths designed for business, or commercial pursuits." [25]  (1845)

Bishop's College applied to Queen Victoria for a royal charter and received it in 1853 highlights providing education for young people in Lower Canada when BCS was still part of the University of Bishop's College.[9] In 1861 the foundation stone of the first school built on the Bishop's University site was laid by General Sir Fenwick Williams, of Kars—who was a personal friend of Mr. Rawson, and who took a great interest in the Institution. The new school was a handsome Gothic building, surmounted by a tower—a wing being added to it in 1864. There was no gymnasium in those days, but the boys had bars, swings, etc., in one corner of the play-ground. From 1860 onwards, the surroundings of the school began to develop substantially as the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) set a station in Lennoxville. It would only took 4 hours to Ottawa, 6 hours to Toronto and 8 hours to New York from BCS by train then. [25] In 1864， the first Governor General of Canada after the Canadian Confederation, Lord Monck visited BCS with Lady Monck, a quote was left: [25]

"The boys are more like English boys than any I have seen out here, and pride themselves on their English cheer. They seem to have the same love, and respect for their college as Eton boys have for Eton.......... Lennoxville is the Eton of Canada, and it is a charming and civilized place; the boys seem very gentlemanly, and well looked after." [25] 

In October 1879, BCS obtained financial independence from the Bishop's University and established the Bishop's College School Acossiation under a capital stock of five hundred dollars registered under the company act of Quebec.[26] It would take only eight hours or six hours from Toronto by train from BCS to Boston by then. The composition of students began to grow more diverse. The school also used historically the Latin name of "Episcopi Collegium de Lennoxville" and French name "Collège Épiscopal de Lennoxville" [4]

BCS Choir 1898

In 1880, the school was temporarily closed due to the spread of typhoid fever.[27]

In 1888, a young Oxford graduate George Wollcombe, BA, started his career at Bishop's College School and Bishop's University when he was invited by the BCS Rector/BU Principal Rev. Dr. Thomas Adams (Oxford). In 1891, he was recommended by the head of Bishop's, and some Ottawa-based parents of his BCS students to start a school there. The Ottawa BCS-styled school eventually became Ashbury College today where he served as the headmaster for 42 years from 1891 to 1933.[28] He still found time regularly to make the four-hour train journey to Lennoxville to teach his classes. He obtained a ad eundem Master of Arts from Bishop's University in 1906 without actually enrolled as a student by the arrangements of Bishop's with Oxford.   Rhode Scholar Dr. C.L. Odgen Glass also graduated from BCS and BU in 1935 and served in Ashbury as the fourth Headmaster, but later returned to BCS.[29] The BCS-Ashbury Cup, the Oxford University, and Bishop's University arms presented on the stained glass in Ashbury Memorial Chapel are signs of the traditional friendship between these institutions. [30] There is also a record of the BCS-Ashbury Cup winners in the BCS Ross Hall (Dining Hall). Wollcombe also eventually became the headmaster of BCS later.

In 1891, there was a major fire in BCS buildings on the Bishop's University campus, architect Alfred Arthur Cox (architect) designed several buildings on campus including Dining Halls (1899), Kitchen (1899), addition to the Library (1899), new lecture rooms (1899).[31] BCS moved to its new campus on Moulton Hill across the river in 1922 as BU refused to sell the land. The opening ceremony was held by the Canadian governor-general Duke of Devonshire and General J. K. L. Ross. The BCS choir founded in 1878 was once considered as the best boy's choir in Canada before.[4] The prior campus of BCS continues today as the building of the science labs, New Arts, at Bishop's University.

Bishop's prepared its students by then to pass the difficult McGill University matriculation examinations. And their scholarly graduates had no trouble getting into Oxford University or Cambridge University. A large range of students such as Norman Webster, David Wanklyn, P.T. Molson, the prior headmaster Odgen Glass, obtained the Rhodes Scholarship.[20]

BCS St.Martin's Chapel Assembly

BCS Cadet Corps #2 is the oldest continuous service corps and the only cadet corps that receive battle colours in Canada in the Fenian Raids. It was formed in 1861 as the Volunteer Rifle Company. Though there is a saying that BCS received this color by shooting a poor cow on the border. Yet, the cadet corps of Upper Canada College have similar legends of this imaginary cow, so the credibility is very low.[13] In May 1989, the school's annual cadet inspection was inspected by The Duke of Edinburgh with a crowd of two thousand people.[14]

Hundreds of former students volunteered and fought for Canada or Great Britain during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. The Royal Military College in Ottawa continuously posted advertisements on the BCS Magazine during this period. Lennoxville boys who have entered the Royal Military College, no less than fifty percent, have won commissions in the force. [25] [16]Alumni Andrew McNaughton was the Minister of National Defence of Canada by then and the radio inventions of Reginald Fessenden permitted the information transmission on battlefields.[32]

A large portion of the students was sacrificed. 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.[16]A stained glass window and War memorial plaques were erected as lists of honors for the Old Boys.[33]

In 1901, the cadet corps took part in the Guard of Honour during the visit of Duke (later King George V) to Sherbrooke. The Cader Corps was also inspected by the Duke of Devonshire, King Edward VIII in 1919, King George VI in 1939 and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1962.[13] In May 1989, the school's annual cadet inspection was inspected by The Duke of Edinburgh with a crowd of two thousand people.[14] The Duke also granted the school's new coats of arms registered under the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada.[15] In 2018, the cadet corps was inspected by Canadian Governor-General David Johnston.[13]

Alumni Sir William Price (1867–1924) is one of the organizers for the Valcartier Military Camp (now CFB Valcartier) where BCS students start their year with the Cadet Orientation Camp.[34]The activities include Cadet drills, shooting, a high ropes course, camp crafts (survival skills) and a variety of other competitive games involving the BCS Clan System. The time and effort students contribute to the Cadet program also helps them as they work towards the skill component of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.[34]

BCS Stained Glass (One of Three)

Snow Day in BCS Squad

In 1958 the school gym/ballroom was transformed into the St.Martin's Chapel announced by the Bishop of Quebec. Since then, students no longer use the chapel at bishop's university.[4] An organ instrument was installed behind the Cross in 1958. Another piece of stained glass is sent as a gift during the closing ceremony of the St. Helen's School as a donation, BCS has grown to become more and more secular proceeding into the 21st century.

BCS is proud to collect the first-ever risen Canadian flag in a blessing ceremony a few hours before the Canadian Parliament Hill in 1965. The flag was donated by BCS alumni, a WWII veteran Okill Stuart, who also invited Prince Philip for an inspection visit to BCS. The flag is permanently kept in BCS Chapel,[35] ironically in the province of Québec, where a strong sense of separatism is presented.

In 1972, its sister school King's Hall, Compton was amalgamated with BCS according to the permission of the boards and the Quebec government under the Company Acts of Quebec. BCS therefore became one of the first co-ed boarding schools in Canada.

A bronze plaque to commemorate both the 200th anniversary of Lord Dorchester's Order in Council in 1789 and the 75th anniversary of the incorporation of United Empire Loyalists Association was unveiled in the St. Martin's Chapel of Bishop's College School on May 21, 1989, by His Royal Highness Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh. Made by the Montreal Stencil Inc., the plaque has been placed on the stairway leading to the chapel. [36]

The Sunday Services are canceled in the 2000s as the school no longer hire any clergies in the chapel but the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, the Remembrance Day Service, the daily Chapel Assembly is conserved managed by the Prefect, the student body and the school organist.The school also invites different religious figures no matter Jewish, Christian, Islamic to the school for speeches. The most notable daily religious event in BCS today is the singing of the Anglican hymns from the books printed in two colors, Red and Green. The school hymn is And did those feet in ancient time(Jerusalem) and the song Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness is sung during a BCS spirit day where students wear in purple.

The CÉGEP system was developed in 1976, banning the High School graduates from entering into universities directly. BCS is one of the seven high schools only in Québec that owns a Grade 12 neglecting this system[37] and one of the few English university-preparatory schools that do not need a certificate of eligibility following the language law Bill 101.[38]

Since 1980, BCS has participated in the Terry Fox Run every year when Terry ran the original Marathon of Hope. Today, this fundraising event remains mandatory for all students. BCS also participated vigorously in the Orange Shirt Day raising awareness for the abuse in the Canadian Indian residential school system.

The school focuses explicitly on small classroom size, elite, extra-curricular liberal education, and provides the triple diploma program of the International Baccalaureate (IB) and provincial curriculums for Quebec and New Brunswick while AP courses and SAT preparation is also available. BCS is proud to advertise its university acceptance rate, 100%, through many years. The School size is limited to around 300 students.

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[39] In 2020, the most recent residence built in fifty years, Mitchell Family House, obtained the Prix d'excellence en architecture by Ordre des architectes du Québec in 2020.[40]

The prior KHC campus in Compton, Quebec was sold to a hotel group when the transferring to BCS in 1972. The hotel group then sold this property to an unknown Chinese consortium from Toronto due to financial difficulties in 2018 seeking for selling short-term language immersion courses to Chinese secondary students under the name of King's Hall.[42]

Yet, this new Chinese consortium has no connection or heritance to the Institution of King's Hall, Compton Inc. at all who founded in 1874 nor Bishop's College School Inc. founded in 1836.

Portrait photograph of Reginald Fessenden from Harper's Weekly Magazine, 1903

Famous faculty includes Nobel Prize winner Rudyard Kipling as an English master[53][54], Reginald Fessenden, the inventor of radio as a Math teacher, Prince Alexis S. Troubetzkoy, international author notable for his works on Russian history, etc. [25] Famous coaching staffs includes singer Robert Bédard (1931– ) who was the President of Tennis Québec & the Vice-President of Tennis Canada （also French and geography school teacher）and Stéphan Lebeau, professional hockey player who won a Stanley cup with the Montreal Canadiens.[55][56][57]

As the fifth smallest school out of 79 schools in the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools with approx. 250 students, no less than 20 former students have been inducted into the Order of Canada, 10 to the Distinguished Service Order, 5 to the Order of the British Empire & Order of the Bath, three to the National Order of Quebec & Order of St Michael and St George, two to the Order of Ontario and one Royal Victorian Order. At least seven has been named to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and seven of the BCS people have been named the Rhodes Scholars. [58]

“The Charter of the Old Boys Association of BCS” (an Old boy network) was officially granted in the page 295, Chap 93 of the Statue de la province de Québec in 1901, later changed to the BCS Alumni Association after KHC Old girls was merged. The BCS Newsletter (BCS Bulletin), BCS Brief & BCS Communications, Keep Troth magazine for KHC old girls and former BCS girls are seasonal publications by the school advancement office. The Heneker-Williams society is a non-profit organization to honour people who brought large acceleration in development for BCS or KHC.

The first edition of the BCS yearbook, then known as the BCS magazine was published in 1880. The Book remains autonomously edited by the student groups. The school's advancement office also held activities annual Homecoming weekend, alumni hockey & rugby games, etc. The leader of a former class of aluni in specific geographical locations are referred as Class Agents and BCS Ambassadors who manage the communications for reunions.

Career Day is an opportunity where alumni and parents share their expertise and experience for current students.

Lost and Delirious

The 2001 film Lost and Delirious directed by Léa Pool and loosely based on the novel The Wives of Bath by Susan Swan. Lost and Delirious is filmed from the perspective of Mary (Mischa Barton), who observes the changing love between her two teenage friends, Pauline (Piper Perabo) and Victoria (Jessica Paré). The film premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.[59] The film is shot entirely in Lennoxville and the scenes are majorly taken in BCS and Bishop's University. In BCS, Campus trials and residences are used and in the Ross Dining Hall major conflicts happened.

The 1983 movie Ups & Downs about Prep-school lives directed by the award-winning alumnus Paul Almond and Lewis Evans (alum and retired headmaster) is written in the settings of BCS while filmed somewhere else.[60]

Former BCS classical/English master, scottish writter Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) who won the eighth Nobel Prize in Literature left a few poems when he was teaching in BCS in 1896. BCS was then on the little Forks campus in Bishop's University, an example would be:[25][61]:

Poems of Home: III. Fun for Little Folk
“There was a small boy of Quebec”
THERE was a small boy of Quebec,	
Who was buried in snow to his neck;	
When they said. “Are you friz?”	
He replied, “Yes, I is—	
But we don’t call this cold in Quebec.”	   

Other literature pieces include From Moulton Hill to Little Forks by J. Graham Patriquin, Wake Me in the Morning by Giles Walker, [62] and Seven Days in Hell: Canada's Battle for Normandy and the Rise of the Black Watch by David O'Keefe (historian)[63]