Trinity College School
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| Trinity College School | |
 Blessed are the pure in heart |
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| Address | |
| 55 Deblaquire Street North Port Hope, Ontario, L1A 4K7, Canada |
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| Information | |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican |
| Headmaster | Stuart Grainger |
| School type | Co-ed Private Boarding/Day |
| Grades | 5 - 12 |
| Language | English |
| Campus | 100 acres in a rural Ontario setting |
| Mascot | Bear |
| Team name | Bears |
| Colours | Black, Maroon, and White |
| Founded | 1865 |
| Enrollment | 600 |
| Homepage | www.tcs.on.ca |
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Trinity College School (TCS) is a coeducational, independent boarding/day school located in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. TCS was founded on May 1st, 1865, more than 2 years prior to Canadian Confederation. It includes a Senior School for grades 9 to 12 and a Junior School for grades 5 to 8.
Among its notable alumni (Old Boys) are Sir William Osler, Archibald Lampman, Peter Jennings, Mark McKinney, Reginald Fessenden, Charles Taylor (philosopher), and Yann Martel. Conrad Black lasted less than a year when he attended Trinity College School before being expelled for insubordinate behaviour.
Previous headmasters of TCS include Rodger Wright (1983-2004), Angus Scott (1963-1983), Dr. Philip Ketchum (1933-1963) and Dr. Graham Orchard (1913-1933).
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[edit] Houses
The Senior School runs on a house system, all ten named after former headmasters and other notable members of the school community.
There are four day houses: Hodgetts, Rigby, Orchard and Wright, and six boarding houses: Bickle, Bethune, Brent, Burns, Scott and Ketchum.
[edit] Hodgetts
"HO HO HO HO" If you went to trinity college school you might here this chant in chapel, house olympics, or house sports. Of course the house making this rucus is Hodgetts House. Hodgetts one of 10 houses at TCS and is a fun loving house that was established along with Rigby House in 1985. Unlike many of the other houses though Hodgetts was not named after one of the many head masters of TCS. Hodgetts house colours are Predominately white with a little bit of black. If you go down in to the trinity jungle, where you will most likely here the rigby rumble, then you know you are near Hodgetts lounge. Hodgetts is located in the newer part of tcs near the science and tech wing. Hodgetts also shares a lounge with Rigby house.
[edit] History
Trinity College School was first founded in the town of Weston, Ontario. William A. Johnson (founder) officially opened the school in his home on May 1, 1865. At the time there were only 9 students and faculty. More and more people became interested in the school setup by Johnson, so its expansion was inevitable. Since a bigger structure was needed, sites at Guelph, Whitby, Niagara, and Norold were all considered.
However, prominent citizens in Port Hope, Ontario were very much interested in hosting the school in their town. They offered to pay the rent for the School's premises for 3 years, a deal which was accepted. In September 1868 Trinity College School opened in Port Hope. The following 30 years were good ones for the School. During that time, under the direction of Headmaster Charles Bethune, Trinity College School grew from the motley collection of wooden sheds and buildings which existed initially at the site of Port Hope into a prosperous, thriving academic community.
Unfortunately, on a wintry night in 1895 an explosion of a coal oil lamp in one of the master's rooms started a fire which destroyed almost the entire School. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the School was rebuilt in only eight months.
This was the first fire, the second occurred in 1928. Again, virtually all of the School was destroyed. Rebuilding the School was not an easy task this time. Although TCS had received promises of funds to help with the rebuilding from the Old Boy community, on the heels of the fire came the Great Depression and many Old Boys had to renege on their promises.
Newly appointed Headmaster Philip Ketchum found himself in charge of a school on the brink of bankruptcy and he had spent the first few years of his tenure, "cap in hand" trying to raise the funds to pay off a very onerous mortgage. Through the generosity of a handful of Old Boys, the debt was finally retired.
Since that time, Trinity College School has yet to experience any similar hardships. The last 50 years of the School history read like a chronicle of successes and expansion. The School's physical plant has tripled in size, the student body has doubled and, under the leadership of Headmaster Rodger Wright, the first female student was admitted to TCS in the fall of 1991 to great success.
TCS continues to be on the leading edge of education in Canada, particularly in the use and promotion of computers in the curriculum. During the summer of 1997, the entire campus was cabled in order to make the School's computer network, and the Internet, universally accessible.
[edit] Present
The academic school year at TCS is divided into three distinct terms (Fall, Winter and Spring), and different extra-curricular programmes are offered for each. Extra-curricular activities at the school include athletics, arts and music, and community service. A recreational sports programme is also available, allowing students the opportunity to participate in a non-competitive sports environment.
Academics are the major focus at TCS and are vigorous and challenging. The school offers a wide range of courses geared towards all realms of post-secondary education. Advanced Placement courses allow Grade 11 and 12 students to study first year university course material, and perhaps earn a university credit after taking a standardized examination in May.
[edit] Nicknames and Mottos and Traditions
The TCS athletics teams are known as the Bears.
The school motto is Beati Mundo Corde, Latin for "Blessed are the Pure in Heart."
Every year starts off with the annual "New Students Fun and Games" in which the old students mix and mingle with the new students in a variety of activities across campus culminating in the favourite "Mud Pit" in which the Headmaster, faculty and students take part in by diving into a mud ditch to declare their entrance into the new school year. This tradition is highly regarded and enjoyed by all at TCS as a fun, familiar rite of passage.
