Bishop's College School

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This article is about the school in Canada. Alternatively, visit Diocesan College(Bishops) in Cape Town, South Africa.

Bishop's College School
BCS coat of arms
Motto: Recti Cultus Pectora Roborant
(Sound learning strengthens the spirit)
Established: 1836
Type: Independent
Faculty: 70
Students: 260
Location: Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada
Campus: 350-acre (1.4 km²) campus.
Colours: Purple and white
Mascot: TBC
Website: http://www.bishopscollegeschool.com/

Bishop's College School is a private school in Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada.

The school was established in 1836 as the Lennoxville Classical School by the Rev. Lucius Doolittle. The school became co-educational in 1973 after merging with King’s Hall Compton, a nearby girls' school.

BCS is a culturally diverse, bilingual, co-educational, independent boarding and day school for Grades 7 to 12 (Forms II to VII) located on a 350-acre (1.4 km²) campus in Lennoxville a borough of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada in the heart of Québec’s historic Eastern Townships.

The school has been member of the Round Square since 1986 and the BCS Cadet Corps #2, the oldest continuous service corps in Canada, has been affiliated with the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada since 1936.

Contents

History over the years

Bishop’s College School was founded in 1836 as the Lennoxville Classical School by the Reverend Lucius Doolittle, who also served as the first Headmaster. Back then, the School was housed in the St. James’ Parsonage and 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; board was £25 per annum (about $130 per year).

Hundreds of former students volunteered and fought for Canada during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. 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.

Girls became an integral part of school life in the 1972-73 school year when BCS and the nearby King’s Hall Compton amalgamated. In 1995, Nancy Layton was appointed as Head of School, becoming the first female Head of a coeducational boarding school in Canada.

Today, BCS serves approximately 260 students with a faculty of over 35 educators. The campus consists of 26 buildings set on 350 acres (1.4 km²), including playing fields and woodlands. The school's stated goal is the education of young people, enabling students to benefit from a broader range of knowledge, a greater depth of understanding and a solid foundation of values. There is a strong multi-cultural aspect to the school with students from, among others, Canada, China, Korea, USA, England, France, Mexico, South America, Bahamas, Bermuda, Germany, and Thailand.

The school benefits from the strong support and encouragement of parents, friends and generation after generation of alumni, who in largely feel a strong connection to the school long after leaving the campus.

BCS Cadet Corps #2

BCS Cadet Corps #2, the oldest continuous service corps in Canada, was formed in 1861 as the Volunteer Rifle Company. Today, the Corps plays a major role in the lives of students, school and community.

The program, compulsory for all students, is organized and run almost entirely by senior cadets. Instruction is given in skills such as first aid, outdoor education and service-type activities.

Recruits participate in Cadets every Thursday of the year, as well as attending a 2-3 day camp at the start of the year. Returning cadets carry out and organize a number of service-orientated activities. They include participation in the School Bands, literary magazine Inscape, the Round Square and Outreach programs, the environmental Green Group, Adventure Training, Community Services and the Yearbook.

Bishop's College School is affiliated with the Black Watch Regiment of Montreal. In early May each year, the Corps sends two platoons and the Colour Party to march with the Regiment in their Church Parade. The Annual Corps review is held on the Friday of May long weekend; this event includes demonstrations by the drill team and the band.

Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Bishop’s College School is proud to offer all students, beginning in Form IV, the opportunity to earn The Duke of Edinburgh's Award which is an international programme that operates in more than 100 countries.

Founded in 1956 by HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the Award aims to develop character, leadership and personal discipline in youth. As of 2004, nearly four million young people have been involved worldwide. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is based on the educational philosophy of Dr. Kurt Hahn, founder of Gordonstoun School, the United World Colleges, Outward Bound, and the Round Square - a worldwide association of schools whose students share a commitment, beyond academic excellence, to personal development and responsibility through service, challenge, adventure and international understanding. BCS has been a member of the Round Square Conference of Schools since 1986.

Introduced to Canada in 1963, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is open to all young people between the ages of 14 and 25. The Award currently attracts some 30,000 participants annually and is operational in all 10 Provinces and 3 Territories.

There are three levels to the award: Bronze, Silver, and Gold – each with an increasing degree of commitment. Within each level there are four sections.

Houses

BCS consists of 10 houses, 2 of them being for day student, and the other for boarders:

  • Ross Boys (Day Students)
  • Ross Girls (Day Students)
  • Glass (Senior Grils)
  • Gillard Senior Girls)
  • Grier South (Junior Boys)
  • Grier North (Junior Boys)
  • McNaughton (Senior Boys)
  • Smith (Senior Boys)
  • Chapman (Senior Boys)
  • Williams (Junior Girls)

All of the houses are named after former BCS headmasters or a famous alumni/staff member of the school.

Every February, an annual Winter Carnival puts the houses against one another in three days of competition. The rivalry between Glass, Gillard and Ross Girls, the three senior girls houses, is traditionally quite intense. In past decades, Grier North and McNaughton house have been fierce competitors for the Senior Boys title.

School Traditions

  • School hymn is "Jerusalem" which is sung as closing ceremonies for each semester
  • "God be with you (til we meet again)" is sung at the final chapel ceremony the night before the graduation ceremony
  • Old Boys Weekend, an opportunity for alumni to return to the school, was previously held over Thanksgiving weekend. It was first moved to the weekend before Thanksgiving, and now coincides with the Cadet Corps Review
  • Athletics have a strong rivalry with Stanstead College, the nearby english private school, and Alexander Galt Regional High School, the nearby english public school.

Notable alumni

See also

External links