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Brebeuf College School | |
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Address | |
211 Steeles Avenue East , , Canada | |
Coordinates | 43°48′01″N79°24′09″W / 43.800206°N 79.402624°W |
Information | |
School type | Catholic High School |
Motto | Men for Others Studio Gradum Faciant (To Win Merit Through Study) |
Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic Jesuit (Presentation Brothers) |
Established | 1963 |
School board | Toronto Catholic District School Board |
Superintendent | Cristina Fernandes Area 4 |
Area trustee | Maria Rizzo Ward 5 |
School number | 508 / 690961 |
Principal | James Tanchez |
Vice Principals | Christine Hughes-Butler Andrew Peacock |
Grades | 9-12 |
Enrolment | 700 (2021-2022) |
Language | English |
Campus | Suburban (14 acres) |
Colour(s) | Red, White, and Black |
Mascot | Redmen (1963–2004) [1] Bulls (2004–present) |
Team name | Brebeuf Bulls |
Parish | Blessed Trinity |
Specialist High Skills Major | Arts and Culture Health and Wellness Information and Communications Technology |
Program Focus | Advanced Placement STEAM |
Website | sites |
Brebeuf College School (Brebeuf College, BCS, or Brebeuf) is a publicly funded Roman Catholic all-boys high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada endorsed by the Jesuits of Canada. Founded by the Jesuits in 1963, it is part of the Toronto Catholic District School Board and associated with the Presentation Brothers since 1984. Brebeuf is the brother school of nearby St. Joseph's Morrow Park Catholic Secondary School. [1]
Students participate in a various activities, including faith and service-related clubs, music and drama productions, and athletic programs at both the intramural and extramural levels. Extended French, Gifted, ESL, and Co-operative Education programs are available for students with appropriate qualifications. Brebeuf offers an Enriched program that allows students to study advanced material and to develop university-level skills, preparing them to take the AP exam and earn an Advanced Placement university credit while still in high school. The school began offering an application-based STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) program in 2020. [2]
The school operates on the semester system and has an enrolment of 958 students in the 2017-18 school year. The majority of students come from Willowdale and northern Scarborough; roughly 20% live in York Region and students travel from as far away as Newmarket, Mississauga, and Pickering to attend the college. Almost 20% of the teaching staff are alumni. The motto of the school is "Studio Gradum Faciant" (To win merit through study).
The school was named after Saint Jean de Brébeuf, a French Jesuit priest (the priests who founded the school in 1963 were Jesuits of the Upper Canada Province) who first came to Canada in 1625, 17 years after the founding of the country by Champlain's French colonists in 1608. Brebeuf journeyed to the area around what is now Midland, Ontario and preached to the Huron people of that area. In 1649 an Iroquois raid on a Huron village captured de Brébeuf, aged 56, and others; they were ritually tortured and killed. De Brébeuf was canonised as a saint in 1930. In 1954 his grave was discovered by Father Denis Hegarty, S.J. at the present site of Ste.-Marie-among the Hurons, near Midland, with a plaque reading "P. Jean de Brébeuf /brusle par les Iroquois /le 17 de mars l'an/1649" (Father Jean de Brébeuf, burned by the Iroquois, 17 March 1649). de Brebeuf is the patron of Brebeuf College School.
The school opened with one hundred students in Grades 9 and 10 in September 1963. Brebeuf's first graduation class in 1966 consisted of 30 students, among them Michael Daoust, who became head of mathematics at Brebeuf.
In 1967, the school entered an agreement with the Metropolitan Separate School Board (now the Toronto Catholic District School Board), whereby Grade 9 and 10 students would be under the publicly funded separate school system and Grades 11, 12, and 13 would continue as a private school. This arrangement happened at most Catholic high schools in Ontario at the request of the bishops of the province. 74 students graduated, two of whom were Michael Daoust and Dr. Robert Lato, formerly the head of guidance at Brebeuf.
In May 1983, Father Winston Rye, the Provincial of the Jesuits, announced that the Jesuits were going to give up responsibilities for the operation of Brebeuf College School by June 1984. This decision was made necessary by the steady decline of available manpower. Immediately, Cardinal Gerald Emmett Carter and the staff of the Archdiocese of Toronto began to explore the possibilities to ensure the continual operation of Brebeuf. In February 1984, Cardinal Carter's office announced that the Presentation Brothers were willing to assume responsibility for Brebeuf College, and would officially take over on July 31, 1984. Brother Lawrence Maher FPM was the new Principal until 1996. Thus the school is now also associated by the Presentation Brothers.
The Presentation Brothers of Mary are a religious congregation founded with a single intention—to work for the Christian education and the formation of youth. The Order was founded in 1802 in Ireland by Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice, a businessman of Waterford. By the age of forty, Rice was noted as a generous layman, particularly concerned with the plight of the poor. After entering a monastery in Europe, he realized that his real vocation lay with the uneducated and poverty-stricken youth of Waterford. In 1802 Edmund Rice gave up his personal wealth, and by 1822 had become the founder of the Presentation Brothers and the Congregation of Christian Brothers. He died in 1844. Today the Presentation Brothers operate elementary and secondary schools in the West Indies, Ireland, Ghana, Nigeria, and Canada.
In June 1984, the Ontario Government announced it would begin funding Catholic high schools beyond Grade 10 beginning in 1985. In 1987, Brebeuf ceased to be a private school, although it maintained a culture and many traditions of an independent institution. The school's population grew rapidly from approximately 600 to over 1,200 by 1992.
In 2001, the Toronto Catholic District School Board announced funding for a new building to replace Brebeuf's outdated facilities and invested Can$23 million. The main architect was Rod Robbie who also designed the SkyDome. Under Principal Michael Pautler '76, the Brebeuf community was temporarily housed in the former Bathurst Heights Secondary School (later John Polanyi Collegiate Institute) while the new building was being constructed. On January 5, 2004, exactly forty years after Bishop Pocock presided over Brebeuf College School's Solemn Blessing, staff and students began classes in the new facility at the old campus. It was blessed in April of that year.
The Brebeuf Crest was designed by Father Robert Meagher S.J., Brebeuf's founding Principal. It symbolizes the rich heritage and history of Brebeuf.
The black bull is taken from the family coat-of-arms of St. Jean de Brebeuf.
The cross of St. George and maple leaves are taken from the arms of the Province of Ontario.
The blazing sun forms the arms of the Society of Jesus who founded the school, and of which Brebeuf was a member. The flames on the circle symbolize the infinite love of Christ, and the little cross, the pinnacle of that love. The Greek letters "iota", "eta," and "sigma" are the first three letters of Jesus's name.
The angel's wings behind the large cross are those of St. Michael, the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Toronto. The five small crosses on the larger cross represent each of the five Canadian Jesuit Martyrs (Jean de Brebeuf, Gabriel Lalement, Antoine Daniel, Charles Garnier, and Noel Chabanel).
The Latin motto "Studio Gradum Faciant" is translated "To win merit through study", emphasizing the academic nature of the school.
The school follows the Catholic Church's sacramental and liturgical calendar. Students take religion courses in each year of school. Each day begins with a community prayer over the public address system and a communion service in the chapel. The Angelus is recited at 10:00 each day. Students participate in a day-retreat as part of their religion class. Kairos (retreats) are offered to students in Grade 11. [3] [4] Masses are held throughout the year (Feast of Brebeuf, Thanksgiving, Advent, Feast of Edmund Rice, Closing Mass, etc.) and on every First Friday of the month. Exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place following the First Friday Mass.
Students are encouraged to put their faith into action as "men for others" in various charity drives and social justice initiatives. Students and staff organize a social justice symposium annually for Catholic high school students. Its aim is to highlight social injustices in Toronto and around the world and to give students ways of putting their faith into action by fighting injustices. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
In 2011 the school instituted the first of its international service and leadership programmes with a trip to Ghana in conjunction with the Presentation Brothers. Since 2012, students and staff have participated in similar trips to St. Lucia, Peru, Grenada, and Ireland. [10] [11]
The school maintains excellent and ongoing relations with the Jesuits, the school's founding religious order and the Presentation Brothers, through chaplaincy, masses, guest speakers, retreats, guest speakers, fundraising, and other collaborative ventures. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]
The Honour Roll recognizes students who have an overall average of 80% with no marks below 60%. Students who achieve Honour Roll status for every year of high school are inducted into the Blessed Edmund Rice Society, named for the Founder of the Presentation Brothers, at Graduation.
There are awards for the highest overall average in each grade and these are named for the college's Jesuit principals:
In 2012, the school created the Order of St Jean de Brebeuf to recognize members of the school community who exemplify the values and ideals for which Brebeuf College School stands, namely: faith, discipline, integrity, hard work, humility, excellence, success, pursuit of the greater good, friendship, and community, and for always being 'Men and Women For Others'. [16]
88% of Grade 9 Academic math students were at Level 3 or 4. There were 173 students in the Grade 9 Academic classes during this time frame, 5% of whom were students with Special Education Needs (excluding gifted).
37% of Grade 9 Applied math students were at Level 3 or 4. There were 51 students in the Grade 9 Applied classes during this time frame, 55% of whom were students with Special Education Needs (excluding gifted).
83% of first-time eligible students were successful in the Grade 10 literacy test. 46% of previously eligible students were successful in the Grade 10 literacy test.
The Fraser Institute's 2010/2011 report on Brebeuf College School gave it an overall grade of 6.5/10, ranking it at 299 of 718 publicly funded secondary schools in Ontario. [17] The school is ranked as 241 out of 691 is the most recent years, with ratings of 7.7 in 2007; 7.5 in 2008; 7.3 in 2009; 5.4 in 2010; and 6.5 in 2011.
Brebeuf offers a large variety of extracurricular activities and clubs, including: debating, school newspaper, peer tutoring, Student Council, Robotics, Math Club, Social Justice Club, Art Club, School Bands, Theatre Brebeuf, Youth Ministry etc.
In addition to on-campus co-curricular activities, the school's chaplaincy department also offers various annual excursions for students ranging from three-day overnight retreats to eleven-day pilgrimages to Italy during Holy Week.
Hockey, football, tennis, golf, volleyball, basketball, track and field, cross country, table tennis, badminton, soccer, indoor soccer.
In 2010, the school reintroduced a House System and all students are placed in one of six Houses named for the Canadian Jesuit Martyrs who were contemporaries of St. Jean de Brebeuf. Students participate in a variety of athletic and academic competitions. The House names are:
The "B" newspaper has been published continuously since 1963. The "Brebeuf Relations" is the newsletter sent out 3-4 times per year to the parent community and friends of the school. The "Alumni B" is published each December for former pupils, starting in 1982. Brebeuf's yearbook, "Echon", takes its name from St. Jean de Brebeuf's name in the Huron language, and has been produced annually since 1967.
“Brebeuf TV” is a closed-circuit television system consisting of eight televisions placed throughout the school. It broadcasts announcements, weather, the house competition leaderboard, video clips produced by the school's media arts and communications technology courses. The system is primarily run by the school's ICT SHSM team.
The school consists of a distinctive black blazer, or black fleece polo top with white dress shirt and grey pants. In the warmer weather, students have the option of wearing a crested golf shirt. The school crest, in the school colours of red, black and white, bears the motto, "Studio Gradum Faciant".
The student body is represented by a Student Council, elected directly by the students. The executive consists of a President, Vice-President, two Event Representatives, two Social Media Representatives, and two House Representatives.
Student Council organizes such events as dances, clothing sales, pep rallies, the graduation formal, and intramural sports.
Principal | Previous School | Date started | Date finished | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Father Robert Meagher S.J. | 1963 | 1972 | Founding Principal of Brebeuf College under the Jesuits. | |
Father Clement Crusoe S.J. | 1972 | 1976 | ||
Father Ken Casey S.J. | 1976 | 1979 | ||
Father Winston Rye S.J. | 1979 | 1984 | Last principal under the Jesuits. | |
Brother Lawrence Maher F.P.M. | 1984 | 1996 | Only principal under the Presentation Brothers, last principal from a Religious Order. | |
Joseph Brisbois | 1996 | 2000 | First lay principal. | |
Michael Pautler '76 | 2000 | 2004 | Served as principal under Brebeuf's temporary site at Bathurst Heights Secondary School. Oversaw construction of the new building. | |
Nicola D'Avella | 2004 | 2008 | ||
Derek Chen | 2016 | 2020 | ||
Linton Soares | 2020 | 2022 |
Some prominent alumni include:
Jean de Brébeuf, SJ was a French Jesuit missionary who travelled to New France (Canada) in 1625. There he worked primarily with the Huron for the rest of his life, except for a few years in France from 1629 to 1633. He learned their language and culture, writing extensively about each to aid other missionaries.
The Canadian Martyrs, also known as the North American Martyrs, were eight Jesuit missionaries from Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. They were ritually tortured and killed on various dates in the mid-17th century in Canada, in what is now southern Ontario, and in upstate New York, during the warfare between the Iroquioan tribes the Mohawk and the Huron. They have subsequently been canonized and venerated as martyrs by the Catholic Church.
Charles Garnier, S.J., was a Jesuit missionary working in New France. He was killed by Iroquois in a Petun village on December 7, 1649.
Isaac Jogues, SJ was a French missionary and martyr who traveled and worked among the Iroquois, Huron, and other Native populations in North America. He was the first European to name Lake George, calling it Lac du Saint Sacrement. In 1646, Jogues was martyred by the Mohawk at their village of Ossernenon, near the Mohawk River.
Sainte-Marie among the Hurons was a French Jesuit settlement in Huronia or Wendake, the land of the Wendat, near modern Midland, Ontario, from 1639 to 1649. It was the first European settlement in what is now the province of Ontario. Eight missionaries from Sainte-Marie were martyred, and were canonized by the Catholic Church in 1930. Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1920. A reconstruction of the mission now operates as a living museum.
The Shrine of the Canadian Martyrs, commonly known as the Martyrs' Shrine, is a Roman Catholic church in Midland, Ontario, Canada, which is consecrated to the memory of the Canadian Martyrs, six Jesuit Martyrs and two lay persons from the mission of Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. It is one of six national shrines in Canada, including, among others, Saint Joseph's Oratory in Montreal and the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.
Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf is a subsidized private, previously Jesuit French-language educational institution offering secondary school and college-level instruction in Quebec. It was originally a boys' school, though since 2014 it now admits girls too.
Noël Chabanel was a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, and one of the Canadian Martyrs.
Antoine Daniel was a French Jesuit missionary in North America, at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, and one of the eight Canadian Martyrs.
Jean de Lalande, SJ was a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons and one of the eight North American Martyrs. He was killed at the Mohawk village of Ossernenon after being captured by warriors.
Gabriel Lalemant was a French Jesuit missionary in New France beginning in 1646. Caught up in warfare between the Huron and nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, he was killed in St. Ignace by Mohawk warriors and is one of the eight Canadian Martyrs.
Paul Ragueneau, SJ was a Jesuit missionary in New France.
Charles Lallemant, SJ, was a French Jesuit missionary. He was born in Paris in 1587 and later became the first superior of the Jesuit Missions amongst the Huron in Canada. His letter to his brother, dated August 1, 1626, inaugurated the series Relations des Jésuites de la Nouvelle-France about the missionary work in the North American colonies of New France.
John L. Steckley is a Canadian scholar specializing in Native American studies and the Indigenous languages of the Americas. Steckley has a PhD in Education from the University of Toronto. He taught at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario, from 1983 until his retirement in June 2015.
Pierre-Joseph-Marie Chaumonot was a French priest and Jesuit missionary who learned and documented the language of the Wyandot people, also known as the Huron. A series of anonymous manuscript dictionaries of French and Indigenous languages, now preserved at the Musée de la civilisation and the John Carter Brown Library, are traditionally attributed to Chaumonot. He studied at the Jesuits’ noviciate in Florence and, after three more years of training, came to Canada in 1639.
Jérôme Lalemant, S.J. was a French Jesuit priest who was a leader of the Jesuit mission in New France.
St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic High School, also known as SJB, is a Catholic high school located in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada. Opened in September 2005 to about 600 students, it has since grown to about 1500 enrolled students. The school started with only grades 9 and 10 in the first year it opened. SJB is part of the York District Catholic School Board (YCDSB). St. Jean de Brebeuf has six computer labs, two full size gyms, two full size soccer fields, tennis courts, and a baseball diamond. It has an agreement with the Vellore Village Community Center, which is directly connected to the school, granting students patronage of the full size swimming pool, gym and youth room.
St. Joseph's Morrow Park Catholic Secondary School is a publicly funded all-girls secondary school located in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1960 and is attached to the Sisters' motherhouse at Morrow Park. The Sisterhood was founded on October 15, 1650 in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, by Jean-Pierre Medaille, a French Jesuit.
Jesuit missions in North America were attempted in the late 16th century, established early in the 17th century, faltered at the beginning of the 18th, disappeared during the suppression of the Society of Jesus around 1763, and returned around 1830 after the restoration of the Society. The missions were established as part of the colonial drive of France and Spain during the period, the "saving of souls" being an accompaniment of the constitution of Nouvelle-France and early colonial Mexico. The efforts of the Jesuits in North America were paralleled by their China missions on the other side of the world, and in South America. They left written documentation of their efforts, in the form of The Jesuit Relations.
William P. Lonc was a professor emeritus of physics at Saint Mary's University in Canada and also the co-translator and co-editor of the series The Jesuit Relations, working assiduously in translating over 64 historical works by Lucien Campeau and other French Canadian Jesuit sources into English.