Eastwood Collegiate Institute

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eastwood Collegiate Institute
Ex Oriente Lux
From the East Comes Light
Address
760 Weber Street East
Kitchener, Ontario, N2H 1H6, Canada
Website
http://eci.wrdsb.on.ca
Information
School board Waterloo Region District School Board
Principal Nancy Strobel
Vice principal Hugh Lambert, James Bond
Grades 9-12
Language English
Mascot The Rebel Lion
Team name Rebels
Colours Red, Grey, White
Founded 1956

Eastwood Collegiate Institute is a public high school located at 760 Weber Street East in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1956. The school teams are known as the "Rebels", and its motto is Ex Oriente Lux.

The principal of the school is Nancy Strobel. The vice-principals are: Hugh Lambert for students with the surname starting with A-K, and James Bond for students with the surname starting with L-Z.

The school tends to have strong rivalries with neighbouring high schools, especially Grand River Collegiate Institute to the northeast.

Contents

[edit] Construction

The school was built in 1956, located on what was then the recently extended East Avenue (now Weber Street). The architect for the building was the company of Barnett & Rieder. Most of the school consists of a long classroom block that runs parallel to Weber Street. There is a large entrance stair at the south side of the classroom block, with the school offices to the north and the gymnasium, whose walls are of ribbed brick, to the south. The architecture of the school received international attention when it opened.

[edit] Crest

The School's crest was designed by Former Eastwood Student Doug Rickert in 1957. Designed to reveal both the school's name but also the componenets of its life blood. According to the 1956-1957 Eastwood Yearbook, CHIPS, "The rising sun...denotes not only 'East', but also the light given by our leadership to other schools and the community around us. The maple leaves provide the 'wood', and in addition signify our pride in holding a place in the educational system of Canada. The open book signifies the great store of knowledge readily available, and the desire to receive it, both present in our school. The motto...has also been included in the attractive crest which is a suitable emblem of our school".

The Rebel Lion
Enlarge
The Rebel Lion

[edit] The Mascot

The school's original mascot, Johnny Rebel, was chosen to represent Eastwood's original rebellious spirit (many of the original teachers had left KCI to come to Eastwood). In 1999, it was decided that Johnny Rebel no longer personified what it meant to be a Rebel due to the fact that he was perceived to be a symbol of white bigotry (the Confederate battle flag was a prominent feature of his costume). This led to a contest being held among the students and staff to design a new mascot. Eventually, it was decided that two lions (one male and one female, wearing a football jersey and a basketball jersey respectively) would be used to reflect the school's "Rebel Pride". In 2003, another contest was held for another overhaul of the mascot, with students and staff again submitting designs. Ultimately, a design by former Eastwood art teacher David Okum was selected. The "Rebel Lion" combines both old and new - a lion in an updated soldier's uniform. The name was chosen so that when the words were pushed together, the word "Rebellion" was formed.

[edit] Waterloo Region Integrated Arts Program

Eastwood is particularly noted for its specialized arts program, known as the Integrated Arts Program (formerly known as the Integrated Arts Package). The Arts Program offers courses in drama, dance, music (vocal and instrumental), and visual arts. Talented students come to Eastwood from all over Waterloo Region and beyond just to be an Arts Program student. However, the Arts Package is, after all, integrated, so its students take mainstream courses as well.

[edit] Huron Heights controversy

In 2004, while the Waterloo Region District School Board was planning to build Huron Heights in Southwest Kitchener, the school was supposedly better suited for closure when at a meeting regarding the pending closure of Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School (KCI) a delegate from KCI stated that the Eastwood students and community had not rallied around their school as had KCI and Southwood Secondary School, another school scheduled for closure. After a brief investigation by the District School Board, the decision was not to close any of the schools at all.

[edit] Renovations

In recent years the school has had a number of much needed renovations. A new library, dance studio, front steps, elevator, a re-vitalized woodworking shop, a (recently demolished) costume room, and a brand new sprinkler system completed in 2005 to bring the school up to fire code, which left many students wondering what the aesthetic qualities were to large steel pipes running though their classrooms.

[edit] Special events

  • Eastwood Collegiate celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006.
  • They received a special visit from former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin in 2006.

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] References

  • (1996) Images of Progress 1946–1996: Modern Architecture in Waterloo Region. Twin City/Dwyer Printing Co, Kitchener, Ontario.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../e/a/s/Eastwood_Collegiate_Institute_531b.html"