St. Andrew's College (Aurora, Ontario)

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St. Andrew's College
Crest of St. Andrew's College
Motto Quit ye like men, be strong
(From: Bible, First
Corinthians, 16:13-14
King James Version)
Established 1899
Type Private
Principal E.G. Staunton
Students 560
Location Aurora, Ontario, Canada
Colours Red and White
Mascot Saints
Website http://www.sac.on.ca/

St. Andrew's College (known as S.A.C.) is a boys' independent school (grades 6-12) located in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1899. It is a university-preparatory school, with a focus on academic achievement, athletics, and leadership development. It is accredited by the Canadian Educational Standards Institute.

First situated in Toronto on land east of Old Yonge Street over to Bayview Avenue, the campus moved north to its current campus in Aurora in 1924. The school has a 110 acre campus suburban environment. Its architecture is built around the traditional quadrangle form. There are four boarding houses on campus which are home to one half of the approximately 560 boys. Many teaching faculty also live on campus. Sister school is Branksome Hall located in downtown Toronto.

Contents

[edit] History

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Academics

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
The main path of St. Andrew's College with a view of Dunlap Hall, the Chapel, and the quad.
Enlarge
The main path of St. Andrew's College with a view of Dunlap Hall, the Chapel, and the quad.

The school's mission statement is Dedicating ourselves to the development of the complete man, the well-rounded citizen'. Sports are a compulsory activity and considered an essential part of school life and culture. Over 53 representative teams are offered, as are a host of in-house and non-competitive sports.

Every student at St. Andrew's College is equipped with a Dell Latitude D610 laptop. The laptop will be renewed in a two year basis. Certified technicians work around the clock to ensure that students' laptops are constantly in working order. As of 2002, every classroom and common area at St. Andrew's College is covered by a wireless network.

The students have a broad selection of courses to choose from, including Advanced Placement (AP) classes to better prepare them for post-secondary studies. As well, many AP examinations are offered at this testing location. Example of AP courses offered are Chemistry, English, Calculus, Statistic, Economic.

Most of the graduates of St. Andrew's College move on to post-secondary education around the world, including Canadian and American universities, the Ivy League and British universities.

[edit] Students

Approximately half the students from 21 countries attending St. Andrew's College live in residence. Dayboys, from the Greater Toronto Area, are a part of the three day houses: Laidlaw, Smith, and Ramsey. Middle School consists of students in grades 6 to 8 while Upper School is comprised of students in grades 9 through 12. Macdonald House is the home to all boarders attending grades 6 through 8. Upper School residents live in the three boarding houses: Flavelle, Sifton, and Memorial. The programs for Middle School students are generally independent from those for Upper School. Each student is also part of a clan, where they would participate in various activities to earn Clan Points.

In addition, St. Andrew's students hail from an array of different backgrounds. Half of the school's student body are boarders and nearly 50% of the boarding community is international, coming from such countries as the Bahamas, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Uganda and the United States to name a few. The remaining students are from various provinces across Canada. [1]

The school also provides many leadership opportunity for students. Some of these include clubs such as Outreach, community service to either employment opportunities or volunteering at the school's summer camp. Clubs usually meet at a designated Monday slot, but can be expanded into lunch times and into the evening hours.

[edit] Prefects

The Prefect system consists of between ten to fourteen graduating-class students who are elected by the Upper School Students and Staff to carry out leadership duties throughout the year. In addition, the Prefects are allotted positions in community service, Outreach or cadets. The 2006-2007 Prefects are: Adel Ratansi, Kyle Bergman, Oladipo Onayemi, Leke Akinyele, Adrian Wu, Jon Tozzi, Tyler King, Taylor Walker, Duncan Cole, Greg Vandemark, Graham Hynds, Ben Calvert and Richard Housser

[edit] Facilities

[edit] Academic facilities

Coulter Hall - A three-floor building designated for arts-related studies. There are two floors that constitute Coulter Hall. The first floor is home to social science courses while the second is home to the English department.

Ketchum Auditorium - The school's auditorium, adjacent to Coulter Hall. The Ketchum Auditorium is home to St. Andrew's annual school plays and drama class. Usually the Friday assembly is held in the Ketchum Auditorium.

McLaughlin Hall - A three-storey wing connecting the Bedard Athletic Centre and the new Rogers Hall, it is completely devoted to science-related studies. The first floor is designated for geographic studies. The second floor is designated for biological studies and computer science.The third is designated for mathematics, chemistry and physics.

Towers Library - the main library at St. Andrew's College. It is named after Graham Towers, the first governor of the Bank of Canada.

Wirth Art Gallery - is the facility designated as the school's visual arts and media/communication studies.

[edit] Student and school facilities

Ackerman Field - named after Gordan Ackerman, a former football coach (who lead the football team and and basketball team to many victories) and teacher at the College, the Ackerman Field is the school's premier sports field. It is home primarily to the Saints football program.

Bedard Athletic Centre - This building, named after one of the school's former headmasters, Robert Bedard, is home to the school's athletic needs. It houses one of the two gymnasiums on campus, as well as 6 squash courts, a 25-metre six lane swimming pool, the fitness and weight facility, ten locker rooms, and a fully-staffed sports injury clinic.

Dunlap Hall - The school's administrative facility. Like McLaughlin Hall, Dunlap Hall is separated into two floors: the first serves numerous functions including the Headmaster's office, admission office and the school's administration office. The second floor serves as the university guidance counselling department, which includes the alumni office and the main university guidance office.

Gallery - The main part of the school where most of the students congregate. The commons area is adjacent to the Wirth Art Gallery.

Great Hall - The dining hall where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily. It is also the site for many more formal meals and ceremonies, like the yearly Haggis dinner. The music rooms are also located in the basement of the Great Hall.

High Ropes Course - The high ropes course is school's only rope course and is frequently used to train the school's cadets, especially those in Grade 12 who wish to become cadet instructors, where completing the high ropes course is mandatory.

Memorial Chapel - The school's main chapel, which is dedicated to the Andreans who fought and died during World War I. The donation was made by Sir Joseph Flavelle, who also donated funds to establish Flavelle House. Morning services as well as some special services like the Remembrance Day Service are held in the Memorial Chapel.

Quad - Located directly in front of the boarding houses, the quad is supposed to represent the sacred ground at St. Andrew's. However, students are allowed to use the quad for athletic purposes at designated times during the day.

Yuill Family Gymnasium - The main athletic facility for all lower-school students. Yuill may also be used for upper-school activities, such as the annual Homecoming dance or some assemblies. Moreover, the Yuill gym is home to the middle-school rockclimbing facility.

[edit] Residential facilities

In addition to the school's academic and athletic facilities, there are four residential facilities for the boarding students at St. Andrew's. They are:

  • Flavelle House - named after Sir Joseph Flavelle
  • MacDonald House - named after the first Headmaster at St. Andrew's.
  • Memorial House - named after the soldiers who died during World War I and World War II.
  • Sifton House

[edit] Cadet Corps

St. Andrew’s is also home to Canada’s largest Royal Canadian Army Cadets Corps. Established in 1905, the 142 St. Andrew's College Highland Cadet Corps is now a credit earning, multi-year leadership program, but still culminates in an annual inspection. The school's cadet corps is also affiliated with the 48th Highlanders of Canada, retaining the same motto ("Dileas Gu Brath" - "Faithful Forever") as well as uniform (scarlet tunic and Gordon tartan). In 2005, the centennial year, the Corps was granted the Freedom of the City of Aurora.

The Pipes and Drums Band is an integral part of the St. Andrew's College Highland Cadet Corps and one of its best known elements. The primary responsibility of the Pipe Band is to provide music for the Battalion when it is on the march. In this role the Band will be front and centre at the Annual Church Parade, the Headmaster's Parade and the Annual Inspection.

The cadet corps closely resembles that of the Canadian army. Beginning from Grade. 8, all students at St. Andrew's must participate in the cadet program until Grade 11. Those who wish to further pursue their leadership position in the cadet corp can either become platoon instructors or apply for senior positions within the corps. There are four mandatory levels in the cadet program, which accompanies each grade, and they are as follows:

  • Green Star (Grade 8) - if the student pases the final green star exam, he will be promoted from a cadet to a private.
  • Red Star (Grade 9) - if the student pases the final green star exam, he will be promoted from a private to a corporal.
  • Silver Star (Grade 10) - if the student pases the final green star exam, he will be promoted from a corporal to a master corporal.
  • Gold Star (Grade 11) - if the student pases the final green star exam, he will be promoted from a master corporal to a sergeant.

As well, the St. Andrew's College cadet corp has won a multitude of awards. It won the Strathcona Cup for general efficiency of private school cadet corps in 1944, 1945, 1947, 1954, 1955, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1973, 1980, 1981 and 1983. Moreover, it won the Earl Grey Challenge Trophy for the Best Cadet Corps in Canada in 1960-1961. [2]

[edit] Rank structure

Similar to the Canadian Forces, cadets can elevate their ranks if they pass all his tests. The rank structure is equivalent to that of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets

[edit] Piping and drumming

In addition to the normal cadet corps, the pipes and drums band are also paramount to the to the school's cadet corps. Internationally renowned as "North America's piping heartland" for its piping and drumming program, St. Andrew's College attracts hundreds of potential pipers each year to its summer "Ontario School of Piping and Drumming at St. Andrew’s College" camp. [3]

Like the cadets in the Royal Canadian Army Cadets program, pipers and drummers can elevate their rank in the same way that the normal school cadets do.

[edit] St. Andrew's terms

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
  • GLC - short for "Guided Learning Centre," students usually come to the GLC to finish their outstanding homework, assignments or tests.
  • Demerits - will be given out if students miss a breakfast, assembly, house meeting, late for study and lights out, or other misbehaving. Boarding students will be given a Tier One Gating if they get 7 demerits while day boys can only have 4 before they are given a Tier One Gating.
  • Tier One Gating - a one-day gating given out to students either because of an accumulation of demerits, a disciplinary or academic problem. Students serve this gating in the school's Dining Hall on Saturdays.
  • Tier Two Gating - a two-day gating, given out to students because they either skipped a tier-one gating or a serious transgression of the school's code of conduct. Students serve this gating in the school's Dining Hall on Saturdays and Sundays.

[edit] School events

Each year, St. Andrew's hosts certain events that are special only to the school. Some of these activities and events invovlve the school's entire student body, while others invite old boys, alumnies and their friends and families. These events serve different purposes, some of which are integral to the school's identity while others are used for fund raising causes.

Picture of the school's first cadet corps in 1905.
Enlarge
Picture of the school's first cadet corps in 1905.
  • Annual Cadet Inspection - the annual cadet inspection is mandatory for the entire student body at St. Andrew's. The Inspection is usually held in May and invites eminent representatives from all across Canada]to inspect the school's student body. A tradition that finds its root since 1906, the annual inspection is integral to the school's identity and preserving the school's Scottish background.
  • Cadets in Concert - This musical concert showcases the school's Pipes and Drums and feature the Corps Concert Band, Stage Band and a few outstanding soloists, percussionists and dancers. It highlights Celtic traditional music, military band music, and some show tunes.
  • Carol Service - The annual carol service is held at Yorkminister Park Church in midtown Toronto and showcases the school’s musicians and singers. The church holds over two thousand people and is generally filled to capacity. Like the annual cadet inspection, the carol service is mandatory and everybody from the student body must attend.
  • Focus Festival of the Arts - This program is a three day festival of plays, visual arts, music and social events for students, parents and guests. Boys who have never been involved in drama or on the stage before are encouraged to participate by writing their own plays, directing, producing or acting in performances large and small.
  • Homecoming - an annual gathering of all St. Andrew's alumni to return to St. Andrew's. Contemporaneous with the homecoming celebration are various sports competition, especially in soccer and football. For upper school students, the homecoming event usually includes the annual homecoming dance.
  • MacPherson Tournament - an annual hockey event where the St. Andrew's hockey team competes with hockey teams from other schools for the MacPherson Tournament Cup. The cup is named after three Andreans: Lloyd MacPhearson, Jim Hamilton and Bob Meagher, all of whom loved hockey with passion and contributed greatly to the St. Andrew's hockey team. The tournament has a North American flavour, hosting schools from Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Quebec, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, New York, Nova Scotia and Michigan as well as a variety of regions in Ontario. [4]
  • Prize Day - Prize Day is the culmination of the school's academic year, and features many awards and prizes earned by the school's students. There are two ceremonies, one for the Middle School and one for the Upper School. Prize Day takes place after exams, which are usually completed by early June.
  • St. Andrew's Dinner - every winter, a traditional St. Andrew's night dinner is held, complete with Haggis. All students must attend, wearing their kilts for this special occasion. Like the annual cadet inspection, the St. Andrew's Dinner finds its roots since the inception of the school and is integral to the preservation of the school's Scottish tradition.

[edit] Clans

Middle School Clans:

  • Bruce Clan
  • Douglas Clan
  • Wallace Clan
  • Montrose Clan

Students in a particular Upper School house, both day and boarding, are in the same clan.

Upper School Clans:

  • Buchanan Clan, Memorial House
  • Chattan Clan, Smith House
  • Ramsay Clan, Ramsey House
  • Robertson Clan, Laidlaw House
  • MacPherson Clan, Flavelle House
  • Stewart Clan, Sifton House

[edit] Athletics

As one of the original members of Ontario’s “Little Big Four” (the others being Ridley, Trinity, and Upper Canada colleges - the other then all-boys prep schools). The photographs of each year’s representative teams line the walls of the Bedard Athletic Centre. Sports are mandatory for all boys two out of three terms.

St. Andrew’s has a tradition of sporting, as shown by its participation in both private and public school leagues and associations[5]:

  • Private schools competition
  • Little Big Four (L.B.F.) 1899-1968
  • Independent School League (I.S.L.) 1968-1982
  • Independent Schools Athletic Association (I.S.A.A.) 1982-1993
  • Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (C.I.S.A.A.)1993-present
  • Canadian Association of Independent Schools (C.A.I.S.) 1981-present
  • Public schools competition
  • York Region Secondary Schools Athletic Association (Y.R.S.S.A.A.) 1971-1995
  • Georgian Bay Secondary Schools Athletic Association (G.B.S.S.A.A.) 1973-1986
  • Durham-York Secondary Schools Athletic Association (D.Y.S.S.A.A.) 1986-1995
  • York Region Athletic Association (Y.R.A.A.) 1995-2004
  • Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (O.F.S.S.A.) 1948-present

St. Andrew's College has teams for the following sports:

[edit] Fall

[edit] Winter

Alpine Skiing

[edit] Spring

[edit] Headmasters

[edit] Notable faculty

[edit] Old Boys

St. Andrew's alumni include:

[edit] Arts

[edit] Business

[edit] Media

[edit] Military

[edit] Politics

[edit] Science

[edit] Sports

[edit] Trivia

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
  • Beginning in the year of 2005-2006, St. Andrew's College eliminated its Saturday school program, following suit with many other independent schools in Ontario who have also done the same.
  • During the annual Cadet Corps inspection for 2004-2005, the honourable guest was Belinda Stronach.
  • In 1914, the H.R.H. Duke of Connaught made a royal visit during the school's prize day. Subsequently, the school formed a Guard of Honour Corps in commemoration of this visit. [7]
  • In 1941, a jaguar skin shot by Theodore Roosevelt was given to the school's bass drummer.
  • In 2006, St. Andrew's College hosted the 25th Annual "International Independent Schools' Public Speaking Competition," the first in the school's history.
  • On the 60th anniversary of World War II, the St. Andrew's College army cadet pipes and drums were asked to lead the ceremony.
  • Over 150 Andreans died in World War I and World War II.
  • The David Dunlap Observatory at the University of Toronto is named after David Alexander Dunlap, the Chairman of the Board of Governors at St. Andrew's College from 1939 to 1945.
  • The McLaughlin Hall is named after Colonel R.S. McLaughlin, who unveiled the hall in 1971 as part of his donation] to the school.
  • The Roger Neilson's Hockey Camp permanently relocated from Lindsay, Ontario to the school in the summer of 2005.
  • The school's first inspection was held on May 14, 1906. In its first year the total strength of the Corps was 68, which was the number of available uniforms. [8]
  • William Scoular's book Not An Ordinary Place: A St. Andrew's Century is based entirely around St. Andrew's.
  • Cheaper by the Dozen 2 was filmed at St. Andrew's College during the summer of 2005.

[edit] External links

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