Senator O'Connor College School
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| Senator O'Connor College School | |
| Address | |
| 60 Rowena Drive Toronto, Ontario, M3A 3R2, Canada |
|
| Information | |
| School board | Toronto Catholic District School Board |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Principal | Susan Baker |
| School type | Catholic Secondary School |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Language | English |
| Area | Don Mills, Ontario |
| Motto | Audax et Fidelis Courageous and Faithful |
| Team name | The Blues |
| Colours | Blue, Gold |
| Enrollment | 1148 (SY 2006-07) |
| Homepage | http://www.tcdsb.org/schools/senatoroconnor.asp |
Senator O'Connor College School is a Roman Catholic high school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is named after Senator Frank O'Connor, founder of the Laura Secord chocolate company and a generous Catholic philanthropist.
[edit] History
Senator O'Connor College School (O'Connor, or OCS) was founded by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the Daughters of Wissygoogoodom in 1963. The high school was built on land given to them by Senator Frank P. O'Connor, founder of Laura Secord, a Canadian chocolatier and ice cream company in the 1930s.
Senator O'Connor's House and Garage, and another building, belonging to the Christian Brothers still exist on Campus, and the Christian Brothers still lived there up until 2000.
The Christian Brothers could sometimes be seen around the house and would occasionally communicate with the staff and students of the school. For the most part they were rarely seen, but every now and then students would be allowed to enter the house or to talk to the brothers. The faculty would also stop by regularly to chat with them.
The school used to be split up into three main structures: the main O'Connor building , the JJ Lynch building, and a later addition of a complex of portables under one roof called the "Taj" or affectionately named the "Taj Mahal". There was also another area with over a half dozen portables. There used to be an indoor swimming pool connected to the house, but it was torn down sometime in the late 80s or early 90s. The Christian Brothers' house was located in the center of the campus, and so students would pass right in front of it or around it on all sides daily.
The Christian Brothers' house has been marked as a historic site by the City of Toronto and is protected as such.
Originally the main high school was built to hold 700 students and by the 90s the student population almost doubled that figure. Additions to the school such as the "Taj" were made over the course of the school's history. By 1995 talks of building a new school on the property began. This project was protested by local residents until its approval sometime in the early 2000s. The old buildings were torn down and a large new modern 2 storey high school which opened in the fall of 2005 is now in place.
The former address of the school was 5 Avonwick Gate. The current address of the new Senator O'Connor College School is 60 Rowena Drive. The address change occurred because the entrance to the school was moved to the opposite end of the property that opens onto Rowena Drive. The new building, designed by Kearns Mancini Architects Inc., was partially built where the Lynch building previously stood as well as on the old athletic field.
[edit] Famous Alumi
Wes Williams (AKA Maestro Fresh Wes) 198? - 198?
Larry Murphy (NHL Hall of Famer) 197?-197?
Cynthia Maria Nicholas 19?? - 19??(Former athlete & former politician)
Tim Micallef (Sports Anchor) 1990 - 1994
Christopher Stott (Musician (Drummer) & Music Producer) 1988-1992
Isabel Bayrakdarian (World Famous Diva )
Jeanmarie Simpson (American Theatre and Film Artist) 1973-75
Mary Ormsby (Sports Reporter Toronto Star )
Natasha Popova (Figure Skater) 2007 - Present
