Athol Murray College of Notre Dame

Infobox Education in Canada
name= Athol Murray College of Notre Dame|


imagesize=
motto= "Luctor et Emergo"|
motto_translation= "Struggle and Emerge"
streetaddress= 49 Main Street
city= Wilcox
province= Saskatchewan
postalcode= S0G 5E0
areacode= 306
phone= 732-2080
fax= 732-2075
email=
url= [http://www.notredame.sk.ca/ www.notredame.sk.ca] |
schoolnumber=
schoolboard=
affiliation=
superintendent=
trustee=
principal=
viceprincipal=
administrator=
schooltype= private, independent, Catholic, coeducation |Private, Boarding school|Boarding, Day school|
grades= 9 - 12, PG
language= English
area=
mascot=
teamname= Hounds
colours= Red and White
founded= 1927
enrollment= 350
enrollment_as_of=

Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, or Notre Dame College, is a co-ed, independent, residential high school for students in Grades 9-12 in Wilcox, Saskatchewan. The school is best known for its hockey team, the Notre Dame Hounds.Alumni include many current and former NHL players.

History

In 1920, the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis opened the Notre Dame of the Prairies Convent and St. Augustine's residential elementary and high school for boys and girls at Wilcox, Saskatchewan; a small town on the Canadian prairies 49 kilometres (25 miles) south of Regina – the provincial capital.

Father Athol Murray was appointed to St. Augustine's parish in Wilcox, Saskatchewan in 1927. The institution's name was eventually changed to honour his contributions.

In the beginning, the College had no running water or central heat. In 1930, fees were $18 per month, but many students couldn't afford to pay. Père (Father) Murray accepted students on the basis that they desired an education, not on their ability to pay. A side of beef, a chicken, a bucket of coal and produce were often accepted instead of money. Students came from everywhere and from every type of social, cultural and religious background.

Murray was assisted by Sister Mary Edith McCullough. Her teaching career spanned 30 years at Wilcox. Sr. Edith ran the elementary and high schools while Père spent most of his time with the students in the Arts programs. In 1933, Père Murray succeeded in obtaining an official affiliation with the University of Ottawa.

Père Murray believed in the Greek philosophy of developing the mind, body and spirit and envisioned a school that could develop great scholars and athletes through equal emphasis on the disciplines of academics, athletics and faith. Notre Dame's longstanding success in developing well-balanced individuals is a testament to that vision.

Though Murray died in 1975, his legacy lives on. Père's beloved Notre Dame College continues to produce many of North America's finest student athletes through a balanced program that emphasizes the values of good character, leadership and community living. Père's motto "Luctor et Emergo" (Struggle and Emerge) is still reinforced today.

Athletics

In addition to its academic programs, the College has many sports teams that the students play on. The most notable are the SJHL's Notre Dame Hounds, but there are a number of minor hockey teams by the same name, playing under the SHA banner. Current Tampa Bay Lightning forwards, Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards played together in the school's AAA Bantam programcite web|url=http://www2.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/players/Vincent_Lecavalier/|title=Sportsnet: Vincent Lecavalier - Tampa Bay Lightning] , while numerous others have gone on to be drafted into the WHL.cite web|url=http://www.notredame.sk.ca/news_item.php?id=754&yr=2007|title=Americans Raid Dog Pound in 2007 WHL draft] cite web | url=http://www.notredame.sk.ca/news_item.php?id=814&yr=2007 | title=Going to the Hounds: 3 Ams draftees hail from same academy]

Notre Dame also runs high school athletics programs in RUGBY, lacrosse, football, basketball, soccer, volleyball and baseball. cite web|url=http://www.notredame.sk.ca/athletics/athletics.php|title=Sports at Notre Dame]

Notable alumni

* Rod Brind'Amour
* Wendel Clark
* Braydon Coburn
* Russ Courtnall
* Scott Daniels
* Curtis Joseph
* Dave Karpa
* Jason Kenney
* Vincent Lecavalier
* Gary Leeman
* Kent Manderville
* Dwayne Norris
* Lawrence Nycholat
* James Patrick
* Scott Pellerin
* Brad Richards
* Jeff Ulmer
* Nick Metz
* Don Metz

References

Père Murray and the Hounds, the story of Saskatchewan's Notre Dame College, by Jack Gorman

Père - A Père Murray Compendium, include by Jack Gorman

Legacy . . . the treasures of Notre Dame, by Jack Gorman

The Hounds of Notre Dame - a movie based on the compelling story of Père Murray and the Hounds

Tales from the Shacks, by Richard Dukes

Notre Dame of the Prairies, by Alice Henderson

The Rink, by Chris Cuthbert and Scott Russell

External links

* [http://www.notredame.sk.ca Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Web Site]
* [http://www.schools.com/directory/adv_search/schooldetail.cfm?ID=616 TABS Association of Boarding Schools Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Profile]