L'Amoreaux Collegiate Institute

L'Amoreaux Collegiate Institute
Address
2501 Bridletowne Circle Toronto , Ontario , M1W 2K1 Canada
Coordinates	43°48′6.93″N79°19′4.31″W / 43.8019250°N 79.3178639°W / 43.8019250; -79.3178639
Information
School type	Public high school
Motto	Freedom with Responsibility
Founded	1973
School board	Toronto District School Board (Scarborough Board of Education)
Superintendent	Mark Sprack
Area trustee	Manna Wong
School number	4226 / 920576
Administrator	Johnson Lo
Principal	Bernard Lee
Grades	9-12
Enrolment	450 (2021-2022)
Language	English
Houses	Incendium, Pelagus, Zephyrus and Telluris
Colour(s)	Royal blue and gold
Mascot	St. Bernard
Team name	L'Amoreaux Saints
Website	schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/lamoreaux/

L'Amoreaux Collegiate Institute (AKA L'Am) is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada founded in 1973. It is located in the L'Amoreaux neighbourhood of the former suburb of Scarborough. Originally part of the Scarborough Board of Education, it is now consolidated into the Toronto District School Board. In 2021-2022, the school had an enrolment of 450 representing 47% of its 957 total capacity. ^[1] The number of students at L'Am for whom English is an additional language is more than double the provincial average (60% vs. 23%) as is the number of students who are new to Canada from a non-English speaking country (10% vs. 5.1%). The area feeding the school also contends with an over-representation of children from lower-income households (30% vs ~18%). ^[2] However, 81% passed the Grade 10 literacy test on their first attempt in 2021-2022; essentially identical to the provincial average. ^[3] The motto of the school is "Freedom with Responsibility".

History

The ultimate origins of L'Amoreaux Collegiate date back to 1868 when S.S. No. 1 opened what later became L'Amoreaux Public School. Located in the northwestern L'Amoreaux neighbourhood, S.S. No. 1 was on the northeastern corner of Finch and Birchmount. ^[4] It was demolished in 1970 to eliminate an intersection jog.^{[ citation needed ]} The date stone is now in the foyer of Silver Springs Public School.^{[ citation needed ]} As population and demographics changed, an area collegiate high school was proposed.

L'Amoreaux C.I., designed by noted Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama, ^[5] was constructed in 1971 and opened on 4 September 1973 on Bridletowne Circle, just northeast of Warden and Finch, as Scarborough's sixteenth collegiate and twenty-first high school. Its distinctive architecture, which has been described as postmodern, ^[6] and interior design, includes a large, tiered Central Market Square later named after Rollit J Goldring, ^[7] (the first principal of the school) instead of standard auditoriums found in similar-sized facilities. The interior makes use of Moriyama's trademark angular concrete designs and hallways accented with bold colours to define distinct 'neighbourhoods'. The school hallway appeared in the rock band Rush's 1982 video for the single "Subdivisions" and has become a point of pride among alumni.

R.J. Goldring delivering the Principal's Message 1974-75

Overview

Campus

Map of the internal layout of the building

L'Amoreaux Collegiate is 161,512 square feet (15,005.0 m²) and sits on a 15 acres (6.1 ha) parcel. It is a one-story school with administrative offices on a smaller second floor near the building's south end. There are approximately 24 classrooms, six science labs, three art rooms, three music rooms, five computer laboratories (including a communications technology lab), and four vocational shops for technical design and construction. Other features include the Rollit J. Goldring Market Square and a cafetorium with a stage for dramatic productions. Sport facilities include four gymnasia (some of which can be subdivided), a 25m swimming pool shared with the city, and a 400m standard track with a football/soccer field. There are two small portables and one large portapak (Adult ESL Center). The hallways and lockers feature accent colours of red, yellow, green, and blue transitioning from the front to the back of the school.

Houses

• From the 2017–2018 school year, students are randomly assigned to one of four houses: Incendium, Pelagus, Telluris, and Zephyrus (Latin for the four elements). Siblings are grouped in the same house to avoid rivalry.
• The original house system comprised Edwards, Kennedy, Purcell, Tomlinson, Scadding, and White—with yearbooks organized accordingly. ^[8] At least five of the original houses were named after prominent local ministers, teachers, land donors, and farmers, according to Carol Tennant in L'Amoreaux Life.

Courses

• Specialist High Skills Major Programs
  • L'Amoreaux offers three SHSM programs, as well as programs in Business and Finance, Information and Communication Technology, and Health and Wellness. Students enrolled in SHSM receive an extra diploma seal.
• Extended French and Spanish
  • An Honors Extended French Program is offered, allowing students to graduate with a certificate of bilingualism; Spanish classes are also available.
• Robotics Engineering
  • The school is one of the few that offers both a robotics course and club. The course covers engineering principles, robot systems, programming, and the societal impact of robotics. It is project-based, with assignments including the construction of two VEX EDR Robots for the worldwide VEX Robotics Competition. Students also contribute to building a FIRST Robotics Competition robot.

Extra-curricular

Sports

• Girls’ sports include badminton, basketball, field hockey, football (soccer), and volleyball.
• Boys’ sports include basketball, football (soccer), and volleyball.
• Mixed sports include cricket, cross country, dragon boating, swimming, and volleyball.

Clubs

Clubs at L’Amoreaux include: Athletic Council, Black Student Alliance, Boyz to Men, Chess Club, Christian Fellowship, Debate Club, Drama, Equity and Student Advocacy, Formal Committee, Girl Talk, L’Amoreaux Pride LGBT+, L’Amoreaux Prefects (formerly PALS), LESS, Model United Nations, Muslim Student Association, Tamil Student Association, Radio L’Am, Robotics, School Action Team, Student Activity Council, United Cultures @ L’Am, and Yearbook.

Notable alumni

• Charlie Angus – author, journalist, broadcaster, musician, and politician; formed the band L'Etranger while at L'Am.
• John Anderson (ice hockey) – former NHL player with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Hartford Whalers, and Quebec Nordiques; later an IHL, AHL, and NHL coach. ^{[9] [10]}
• Joel Brough – field hockey player (World University Games 1991, Summer Olympics Barcelona 1992, Pan American Games 1995, and two world championships). ^[11]
• Paul Humphrey (Canadian musician) – Canadian singer-songwriter and lead singer for the 1980s Canadian New Wave band Blue Peter. ^[12]
• Dan Gallagher – Canadian broadcaster, DJ/VJ, and co-founder of Radio L'Am.
• Tracy Lamourie – activist and celebrity publicist.
• Sandra Levy – Olympic field hockey player (1988, 1992), sports ambassador, and recipient of the African Canadian Achievement Award of Excellence.
• Alvin Leung – "Demon Chef" on MasterChef Canada TV show. ^[13]
• Maestro Fresh Wes – hip hop artist and producer. ^[14]
• Behn Wilson – former NHL defenseman for nine seasons with the Chicago Black Hawks and Philadelphia Flyers. ^[15]
• Ellen Wong – actor.

Yearbook covers

1974-1975 Yearbook cover-L'Amoreaux C.I. "Diamonds In The Rough" ^[16]

1976-1977 Yearbook cover-L'Amoreaux C.I. "Memories" ^[17]

1978-1979 Yearbook cover-L'Amoreaux C.I. The Book of Saints ^[18]

L'Amoreaux C.I. 2022-2023 Yearbook

L'Amoreaux C.I. 2021-2022 Yearbook

See also

• Canada portal
• Ontario portal
• Schools portal

• Education in Ontario
• List of secondary schools in Ontario

References

1. "School Information Finder L'Amoreaux Collegiate Institute (920576)". School Information Finder. Government of Ontario. January 15, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
2. "School Information Finder (gov.on.ca)". School Information Finder. Jan 15, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
3. "EQAO's 2022-2023 Ontario Secondary Schools Literacy Test (OSSLT)" (PDF). eqao.com.
4. "L'Amoreaux Public School I and II". TorontoHistory.net. Toronto Historical Society. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
5. "Moriyama Teshima Project Directory" . Retrieved 28 June 2023.
6. "L'AMOREAUX PUBLIC SCHOOL I AND II". Architectural Conservancy Ontario. Architectural Conservancy Ontario. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
7. "Rollit James GOLDRING". legacy.com. Toronto Star on Nov. 4, 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
8. "Memories 1976-77 : [yearbook]". Toronto Public Library. L'Amoreaux Collegiate Institute. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
9. "John Anderson Stats And News | NHL.com". NHL.com. May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
10. Keeler, Arlie (November 12, 1974). "Marlie impatient for big money". Toronto Star. pp. C5.
11. "Joel Brough (2012) Hall of Fame". York University Lions Hall of Fame. York University. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
12. Brad Wheeler (April 16, 2021). "Singer Paul Humphrey made Blue Peter seem 'too cool to be Canadian'". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
13. Wong, Tony (Jan 31, 2015). "MasterChef Canada's Alvin Leung: 'Untalented people need not apply'". thestar.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
14. "Maestro Fresh Wes Class Act".
15. ""Behn Wilson Stats And News | NHL.com"". NHL.com. NHL.com. May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
16. "373.71354 LAM LAM 1974/1975". Yearbook. L'Amoreaux C.I. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
17. "373.71354 LAM MEM 1976/1977". Memories. L'Amoreaux C.I. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
18. "373.71354 LAM LAM 1978/1979". Yearbook. L'Amoreaux C.I. Retrieved 1 July 2023.

External links

• L'Amoreaux Collegiate Institute
• TDSB profile