- St. John's-Ravenscourt School
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St. John's-Ravenscourt School Address 400 South Drive
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CanadaInformation Headmaster Dr. Stephen Johnson Grades K-12 Language English Mascot Eagle Team name Eagles Colours Green and Gold Founded 1820 Enrolment 837 Homepage http://www.sjr.mb.ca/ St. John's-Ravenscourt School (commonly referred as 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. Elizabeth II, as Queen of Canada, is the royal patron of the school.
Contents
History
The school was founded in 1820 by Rev. John West as the Red River Mission School for the children of early Selkirk settlers and select aboriginal children.[1] 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 renamed Red River Academy.[1]
The Academy was purchased in 1849 by the Bishop of Rupertsland, David Anderson, and was renamed St. John's Collegiate.[2] In 1866, 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.[3] In 1934, it was relocated to a house built by Colonel R.M. Thomson.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6]
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.[4]
In 2008, 2009 and 2010 St. John's-Ravenscourt School was named one of Manitoba's Top Employers, which was announced by the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper.[7]
Today, the school's student population has increased to 830 students, with a mandate of full acceptance of girls throughout by 2007.
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 consists 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 theatre, the Moffat-Richardson Theatre. It also contains a computer lab, a common room for the students' use, several science labs and multipurpose rooms, as well as an office.
Senior School Wing - The Senior School Wing is the oldest, and largest wing of the school. It encompasses many separate buildings; sections include the Camsell Science Wing, the Tom Bredin Athletic Building, and the 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.
Faculty
There are approximately 150 faculty members listed on the St. John's-Ravenscourt website. Some teachers teach in both Senior and Middle School, but most teach only on one level. Teachers who teach for over 25 years are recognized with a service award.
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.
Notable alumni
St. John's-Ravenscourt School has produced 18 Rhodes Scholars.[8]
- Tyler Arnason: National Hockey League player.
- David Asper: lawyer (represented David Milgaard), businessman, Chairman of the National Post newspaper, Executive Vice President of CanWest Global Communications Corp.
- Jennifer Botterill: Olympic gold medallist, member of the Canadian national women's hockey team.
- Steve Braun: television and movie actor.
- Susan Coyne: writer and actor, best known as one of the co-creators and co-stars of the award-winning Slings and Arrows."
- Brian Engblom: former National Hockey League player.
- Brett Hull: former National Hockey League player, son of Bobby Hull.
- Gerard Kennedy: Politician, former Ontario Minister of Education under Dalton McGuinty, former candidate for leadership of the federal Liberal party.
- David Kilgour: Politician，a Canadian politician, one of the longest current serving Members of Parliament and one of the very few who had been elected under both the Progressive Conservative and Liberal banners. He was recently awarded the 2009 Human Rights Prize of the International Society for Human Rights In Switzerland for their work in raising awareness of state-sponsored organ pillaging in China.
- James Armstrong Richardson: Politician, member of Cabinet under Pierre Elliott Trudeau, businessman, founder of James Richardson International.
- Alexander Steen: National Hockey League player.
- Sarah Stock: aka Sarita: Wrestler.
- Zach Werner: musician, record producer, entertainment lawyer and talent manager.
Athletics
Athletics are important in the SJR community. Most notably, soccer is the school's most popular sport, with teams from ranging from teams in middle school to high school. Hockey, another sport available at SJR is played in Dutton Memorial Arena, the only International-sized arena in the Winnipeg area.[9]
Other popular sports include rugby, ultimate, basketball, volleyball, and badminton.
Notes
- ^ a b Manitoba Historical Society. "St. John's Ravenscourt School". http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/organization/sjr.shtml
- ^ Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. "Anderson, David". http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?BioId=39461
- ^ Manitoba Historical Society. "A Walking Tour of Armstrong's Point". http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/05/armstrongpttour.shtml
- ^ a b Thomson A, Lafortune S. Handbook of Canadian Boarding Schools. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1999, p 241
- ^ "The St. John's-Ravenscourt School Incorporation Act". http://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/private/c17290e.php. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
- ^ Thomson, A. "Secondary Education in Manitoba in 1994". https://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca/dspace/bitstream/10219/187/5/Manitoba.pdf
- ^ "Reasons for Selection, 2009 Manitoba's Top 20 Employers Competition". http://www.eluta.ca/top-employer-st-johns-ravenscourt-school.
- ^ "St. John's-Ravenscourt School FAQs". http://www.sjr.mb.ca/admissions/faq.html.
- ^ "Max Hockey School". http://www.maxhockey.ca
References
- St. John's-Ravenscourt School (2005). SJR - St. John's-Ravenscourt School - About. Retrieved October 30, 2005.
External links
Categories:- Preparatory schools in Manitoba
- Private schools in Manitoba
- High schools in Winnipeg
- Elementary schools in Winnipeg
- Educational institutions established in 1820
- Manitoba school stubs
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