Ridley College

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Ridley College
Coat of Arms of Ridley College
Terar dum prosim (Latin)
May I be consumed in service
Location
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Information
School type Independent School
Day/Boarding
Religious affiliation(s) Anglican
Established 1889
Oversight Ridley College Board of Governors
President John R. Anderson
Headmaster Jonathan Leigh
Chaplain Jason van Veghel-Wood
Faculty 85
Grades K-12
Enrollment 636
Average class size 17 students
Student to teacher ratio 7:1
Language English, French
Campus 100 acres
Colour(s) Orange and Black          
Mascot Hank
Nickname Tigers
Newspaper 'Tiger Tribune
Hank'
Yearbook 'ACTA Ridleiana'
Tuition C$49,950(+C$4,500 and C$ 2,310)
Website ridley.on.ca

Ridley College (also known as Bishop Ridley College, Ridley or RC) is a co-educational boarding and day university-preparatory school located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada,[1] 20 miles (32 km) from Niagara Falls. The school confers the Ontario Secondary School Diploma as well as the Advanced Placement and will begin offering the International Baccalaureate curricula Diploma Programme in September 2012. Originally established as an Anglican-affiliated all-boys school in 1889, Ridley became coeducational in 1973.

Contents

[edit] History

Established in 1889, the school was founded by a group of Anglican clergymen intending to provide boys in Ontario with an education that emphasized strong academic and religious values. Named after Bishop Nicholas Ridley, a 16th century churchman in England martyred during the Protestant Reformation, the school was originally known as Bishop Ridley College. The school's first campus, known as the Springbank campus, was integrated into the then-recently closed hotel of the same name constructed in 1864 by Dr. Theophilus Mack on Yates Street in St. Catharines. In 1903, the Springbank campus was destroyed as a result of a fire. The school was rebuilt on the site of its current campus, the address and street name of which soon became known as Ridley Road. The cornerstone of the Upper School building was laid in 1904. The first dormitory, Dean's House, was built in 1907.

The school experienced rapid expansion in respect to the campus for approximately the next three decades, including the building of academic and athletic facilities, and the Memorial Chapel, dedicated to Ridleians who lost their lives in World War I. Ferdinand Herbert Marani (architect), of Mariani & Paisley designed several buildings at the College: The Lower School (1926-27); residence for H.G. Williams, Headmaster (1929); Schmon Infirmary (1949) and Memorial Great Hall (1949). [2]

[edit] Lower School

The Lower School (formerly, Middle School) is located across the campus from the Upper School and the Chapel.[3] The Lower School has a JK/SK class, one Grade 1, one Grade 2 class, one Grade 3, one Grade 4 class, one Grade 5 class, one Grade 6 class, two Grade 7 classes and two Grade 8 classes. The Lower School has a design shop; an art room; grades JK-8 homerooms, in which English and math are taught; a resource centre; and, a boys' and girls' residence. The typical Lower School class has 10-20 children. Lower School also organizes a 'Student Council'.

[edit] Upper School

Upper School at Ridley College.
Nicholas Ridley.

There are approximately 460 Upper School students at Ridley. The Upper School, or School House, Building has a campus co-op store, a computer repair and order desk, and classrooms. The Second Century Building (“2CB”) houses three main departments: the science department, the art department, and the music and drama department. The latter includes several labs and various studio rooms. The Mandeville Theatre operates as an auditorium for various local public schools and production companies with a capacity of 350 people.

Upon graduation from Ridley, graduates become entitled to use the post-nominal letters “O.R.” (“Old Ridleian”).

[edit] The Memorial Chapel

The Bishop Ridley College Memorial Chapel was built during the 1920s, dedicated to the memory of those Ridleians who died in World War I. The chapel was enlarged during the 1960s. Each stained glass window is unique, bearing such non-traditional imagery as Ridley football helmets, but also more conventional Christian imagery. The Chapel is equipped with a sound system, a new Yamaha grand piano and 2 pipe organs. The Ridley Pipe Organ is a Casavant Freres Opus 1099. It had a second manual keyboard added later in its life. The pipes for this added organ are located at the back of the Chapel, while the original four sets (great, choir, swell and pedal) are at the front. The Lower School chapel service includes at least one musical performance each Friday.

[edit] Academics

Ridley enrolls students from throughout Canada (including Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and the Maritimes), the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Caribbean, East Asia, and the Middle East.

There are various facilities located within the Campus including Ridley's 'Second Century Building' and the 'The Iggulden Gym'. Ridley College employs WiFi networks within all facilities for extensive daily usage. Class sizes vary between 8 to 20 students per class. Students graduate to universities in Canada, the United States, and the UK.

In 2004 the school adapted to the 4 year programme of the Ontario Academic Curriculum but it continues to offer a fifth, “PG” (“post-graduate”) year.[4] Also Ridley is a test administration site for the SSAT, SAT, and ACT.

Ridley College is accredited to the Canadian Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)[5] and the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI) under the Ridley College Board of Governors.[6]

As a private, University-preparatory school, Ridley College is neither associated with nor accountable to any local school board.

Ridley College alumni pursue post-secondary degrees at top Canadian universities, including Brock University, the University of Toronto, McGill University, Queen's University, the University of Western Ontario, McMaster University, Dalhousie University and the University of Waterloo (among the Group of Thirteen). Recent U.S. and English university matriculants' destination schools include Harvard University, Yale University, Spelman College, Princeton University, Cornell University, Georgetown University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Durham University, University of St Andrews, the London School of Economics, Imperial College, University of London, University of Edinburgh and Newcastle University.

[edit] School motto and colours

Ridley College's mascot, Hank.

The School's Latin motto is Terar Dum Prosim, roughly translated as "May I Be Consumed In Service". The School uniform is known as ‘blues and greys’. The School Colo[u]rs are orange and black, and the School mascot is the Tiger (known as ‘Hank’), which has been depicted in a sculpture in front of School House.

[edit] School Life

Arthur Bishop House, which includes Arthur Bishop East and West (two of the five boys’ houses within Ridley College).

Ridley's School Life philosophy could be said to embrace four essential qualities: academics, athletics, citizenship, and faith.

One of Ridley's most notable traditions is the 'Snake Dance,' a school spirit-building celebration to inaugurate the fall sports season. Other traditions include an annual Cross-Country Run, intramural competition among dormitory residences for the Bradley Shield (girls') and Bermuda Cup (boys') trophies, the Chimes Challenge (a sprinting contest held during the midday chimes of the clock tower) and the annual Prize Day that concludes the school year, which is divided into three trimesters, known as the 'Michaelmas', 'Lent' and 'Trinity' terms. North American students typically return to their families during School holidays, and often international students who choose not to return to their home countries (or are unable to due to time constraints) are billeted with Ridley families.

The School comprises a Lower School (Junior Kindergarten to grade 8, formerly the Middle School) and an Upper School (grades 9-12 and PG). Essential to School life is the Ridley residence system (see House system), in which both boarders and day students participate, supervised by Housemasters who are also members of the School's faculty and reside within the residences. The residences are named for prominent alumni.

The School has dining halls for both the Lower and Upper Schools. After school, intramural and inter-School sports fixtures are held as well as various non-sport activities.

Often, alumni choose to have their weddings and baptisms take place in the Ridley College Chapel. The School faculty includes a full-time Chaplain, who also has academic duties.

Social discipline in the residential setting is based on the demerit system, and accumulations of demerits lead to the imposition of 'gatings', during which students are prohibited from leaving the campus and must 'check in' with the Master on Duty each half-hour, on the half-hour, when not engaged in classroom work or taking meals.

In 1981, the National Film Board of Canada released the documentary film Ridley: A Secret Garden about the School.

In 2000, the book Ridley: A Canadian School, by Richard Bradley and Paul Lewis, was published, also about the School. Ridley's mascot, Hank, is depicted in a sculpture by artist Hugh Russel a Ridley Old Boy.

On Thursday, May 19, 2011, headmaster Jonathan Leigh announced his retirement, effective the end of the 2011-2012 school year.

[edit] Athletics

The school has several competitive athletics teams, including the boys soccer team, Canadian Independent Schools National Champions in 2003, and the boys ice hockey team, which competes in the highly competitive Midwest Prep Hockey League. The boys basketball has continued to be a strong program at Ridley, winning numerous Canadian Independent Schools Championships in the last few years. The varsity boys rugby program went through a rebirth during the recent years, hosting the Canadian Independent School championships and medalling out of 15 teams, as well as ending up with a second place finish in the CISAA rugby finals. One of Ridley's most renowned athletics programs comprises its strong rowing traditions. Ridley has won the UK Royal Henley Regatta's prestigious Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup four times, the most of any Canadian boarding school and has trained numerous Canadian Olympic rowers. Girls' sports include, but are not limited to, rugby, introduced in 2002; field hockey, volleyball, soccer, hockey, and tennis. Sport participation is an expectation for Ridley students, and participation is mandatory. For those students that do not wish to be on a competitive team, Ridley has set in place a Sports for Life program. The program includes sports such as sailing, fencing, curling, and badminton. Click Here for More information on Ridley Sports

A very well respected motto that the students go by in relation to sports goes as follows, “If you lose, say nothing; if you win say less." said by Ridley’s Second Headmaster, Dr. Harry C. Griffith.

The Ridley College Tiger Swim Team has dominated in several categories in the All-Ontario (OFSSA) Championships. Their powerful Men's Team won the overall championship in 2006 over almost 300 other private and public Ontario schools. Their Women's Relay Team set successive back-to-back All-Ontario records in 2004 and 2005. The 2008 swim team dominated in all areas, from regional to provincial, breaking decade-old records.

[edit] Cadet Corps

The School maintains a well-established tradition of mandatory service in the Royal Canadian Army Cadets. Each year, all students, as cadets[7] are required to parade in an inspection by a visiting Canadian or Commonwealth Inspecting Officer. Many Ridley Cadets down through the School's history have proceeded to distinguish themselves among Canada's Officer Corps. Ridley College is one of the two Cadet Corps in Canada that still continue to issue officer ranks to students within the corps. The Ridley College Cadet Corps numbered 162 remains the largest cadet corps in Canada. Ridley participated in its 104th Annual Cadet Inspection in May, 2011. The Inspecting Officer was Brigadier General Terry Leversedge. The Cadet Commanding Officer was Gianni Bahadoorsingh, the Cadet Second in Command was Olivia Park, the Cadet Battalion Adjutant was Erin O'Rourke. The current Commanding Officer is Canadian Forces Captain Paul Filion, of the Cadet Instructor Cadre Branch.

[edit] Notable alumni

F.W. Baldwin at Ridley College, 1900

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ridley College
  1. ^ http://www.stcatharines.ca/forbusiness/ecodevt/eco_dev_education_private.asp
  2. ^ http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/architects/view/1462 Ferdinand Herbert Marani.
  3. ^ http://www.ridleycollege.com/ftpimages/180/misc/misc_65222.jpg
  4. ^ http://www.ridleycollege.com/podium/default.aspx?t=125353
  5. ^ CAIS - Canadian Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)
  6. ^ Ridley College
  7. ^ The idea being that all Ridley graduates, having served as cadets, be among the most facile of conscripts for Canada or the Commonwealth, should the need ever arise, although many Ridley cadets down through the School's history have proceeded to distinguish themselves among Canada's Officer Corps.
  8. ^ http://www.well.ox.ac.uk/home
  9. ^ James E. Coyne- Biographical note- About the Bank- Bank of Canada
  10. ^ David A. Dodge- Biographical note- About the Bank- Bank of Canada
  11. ^ Trudeau (2002) (TV)
  12. ^ cbc.ca

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 43°09′09″N 79°15′25″W / 43.15246°N 79.257013°W / 43.15246; -79.257013

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