St. John's-Ravenscourt School

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St. John's-Ravenscourt School
Address
400 South Drive
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Information
Headmaster Dr. Stephen Johnson
Senior school principal Ms. Nancy Gillies
Senior school viceprincipals Mr. Dan Stanier and Mr. Kevin Solinsky
Middle school principal Mr. Douglas Palm
Junior school principal Ms. Cheryl Chaban
Grades K-12
Language English
Mascot Eagle
Team name Eagles
Colours Green, gold
Founded 1820
Enrollment 873
Homepage http://www.sjr.mb.ca/

St. John's-Ravenscourt School (generally SJR) is an independent, co-educational, university-preparatory school founded in 1820. Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the school delivers an enriched curriculum from Kindergarten through Grade 12.

Contents

[edit] History

St. John's-Ravenscourt's beginnings lie in the year 1820. The school was founded by Rev. John West as a mission school for the children of early Selkirk Settlers. The School was originally built on the banks of the Red River in Selkirk, and then relocated by Rev. David Thomas Jones to the west bank of the river near present-day St. John's Park. In 1834, the School recorded 20 boys, and 21 girls attending the Red River Academy.

The Academy was purchased in 1849 by the Bishop of Rupertsland, David Anderson, and was renamed St. John's Collegiate. During the 1870s, enrollment grew and the school's name was changed to St. John's College School. The school's campus was expanded to include buildings on Main Street and Anderson Avenue, and stood as a landmark until their demolition in the early 1950s.

In 1929, Norman Young became the first headmaster of Ravenscourt. Young had been encouraged by a group of Winnipeg businessmen, who promised that their sons would attend. The school was originally located at Armstrong's Point on the Assiniboine River. In 1934, it was relocated to a house built by Colonel R.M. Thomson. The unfinished home was located in Fort Garry on the banks of the Red River. The new facility was soon expanded to include the Richardson Gymnasium, the first gym in Western Canada to sport a basketball court.

In 1950, the Board of Anglican churchmen that as a group governed St. John's College decided to close the school. This decision upset the alumni of the school, and the alumni sought a way to continue their school. It was finally decided that St. John's College School would be amalgamated with Ravenscourt. The two schools became St. John's-Ravenscourt.[1]

After the flood of 1950, many new facilities were added to the school, notably an arena, and a lower school building. In 1971, the school made the decision to readmit girls to the school.

In November 1981, Her Majesty the Queen granted her patronage to the School, and one year later gave permission for the creation of scholarship in her name to mark the event of her patronage.

Today, the school's student population has increased to 873 students, with a mandate of full acceptance of girls throughout by 2008.

[edit] Campus

St. John's-Ravenscourt School has a large campus and several different buildings. The school campus is located directly on the Red River in Fort Garry at 400 South Drive. The school features an arena, multiple playing fields, two separate gyms, a music wing with several different music rooms, and classrooms.

The school is divided into three main wings. Each wing has its own faculty, including principal and viceprincipal.

Junior School Wing - The Junior School Wing is comprised of several buildings, the largest being the Kiddell Building. The Junior School wing includes a distinct Kindergarten education facility, several classrooms, a gym, and a computer lab. In addition to this the Junior School has an atrium, music room, and Junior School office.

Middle School Wing - The Middle School's facilities contain an art studio and the school's only theatere, the Moffat-Richardson Theatre. It also contains a computer lab, a common room for the student's use, several different science labs, and multipurpose rooms, as well as its own office.

Senior School Wing - The Senior School Wing is the oldest, and largest wing of the school. It encompasses many separate buildings, and sections including the Camsell Science Wing, the Tom Bredin Athletic Building, and the grand entrance hall of the school. The Athletics building includes one of the few International sized hockey arenas in Manitoba, the Dutton Memorial Arena. The Senior School also includes the school's cafeteria, Hamber Hall. The wing also includes several music rooms, shared by the whole school.

[edit] Faculty

There are approximately 150 faculty members listed on the St. John's-Ravenscourt website. Some teachers may teach in both Senior and Middle school, but most teach only on one level. Teachers who dedicate their service for a period of over 25 years are recognized with a service award.

[edit] Curriculum

St. John's Ravenscourt school delivers the Ministry-prescribed curriculum, as well an enriched curriculum set by SJR's own teachers. The school places emphasis on the math and public speaking programs within their curriculum. The school has devised its own mathematics curriculum, using its own textbooks and teaching materials. It has also made public speaking a mandatory course from grade six to eight.

[edit] Alumni

St. John's-Ravenscourt School has produced 18 Rhodes Scholars and a number of Harvard graduates.[2]

Notable alumni:

[edit] Athletics

Athletics are important in the SJR community. Most notably, hockey is the school's most popular sport, with hockey teams from grade 4 to high school, including two high school boys teams and a female high school team. Hockey is played in Dutton Memorial Arena, the only Olympic-sized arena in the Winnipeg area.

Other popular sports include rugby, ultimate, basketball, volleyball, soccer, and badminton.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The St. John's-Ravenscourt School Incorporation Act. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
  2. ^ St. John's-Ravenscourt School FAQs.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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