Pictou Academy

Pictou Academy
Address
88 Patterson Street Pictou , Nova Scotia , B0K 1H0
Information
School type	Secondary School
Motto	Concordia Salus (Harmony and Good Health)
Founded	1816
School board	Chignecto - Central Regional School Board
Superintendent	Dr. Noel Hurley
Area trustee	Vivian Farrell
Administrator	James Ryan
Principal	James Ryan
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	196 (September 2006)
Language	English
Colour(s)	Red and White
Mascot	Pitbull
Team name	Pictou Academy Pitbulls
Website	Pictou Academy
Last updated: December 20 2006

Pictou Academy (PA), founded in 1816 by Dr. Thomas McCulloch, is a secondary school in Pictou, Nova Scotia. Prior to the twentieth century, it was a liberal nonsectarian college, a grammar school, an academy and then a secondary school. Pictou Academy's current principal is James Ryan. The Pictou Academy Educational Foundation provides additional funds to the school. The current (2006-7) student council executives are Marc-Andre MacLeod, president, and Amy McKenzie, vice-president.

History

On March 25, 1816, the Nova Scotia House of Assembly passed a bill to found Pictou Academy.

Thomas McCulloch (1776 - 1843), the first principal (1816 - 1837), was a Presbyterian minister ordained in the Secessionist church in Scotland. He arrived in Pictou in 1803 and by 1806, he had written about the need for a college because King's, the one college in Nova Scotia at that time, was open to only 20% of the population. McCulloch wanted a non sectarian college that would train local ministers and offer to all a liberal scientific curriculum modeled on the University of Glasgow.

In 1806 he opened a school in his own house and the excellence of his teaching drew students from Nova Scotia and beyond, but it was not until 1816 that Pictou Academy was opened. McCulloch began to build up its library and collected insect and bird specimens for a natural history museum. This collection was so extensive that John James Audubon, in a visit in 1833, called it "The finest private collection in North America."

Throughout his years as principal, McCulloch had a constant struggle with government funding, trustees, the status of the Academy, and religious groups, both in Pictou and the province. For many years, the Legislative Assembly approved a grant for the Academy but the Privy Council rejected or reduced the grant. McCulloch fought vigorously for his ideas, but by 1837, he was in a very difficult position and left the Academy to become the first principal of the new Dalhousie College in Halifax.

The Academy went through several phases. To 1831 it was a college but after this, a grammar school was added to the college. By 1842, the school had female students and had its college status taken away making it a grammar school only. The school's enrollment ranged widely over the years but by the 1870s, with the changes in school policies in Nova Scotia, the Academy was flourishing and became a model secondary institution with excellent facilities and higher grants. Students passed exams to enter the Academy which was free to county students. From the beginning, the plan was to keep fees low, and some students did attend for free during the early years.

The emphasis on an academic curriculum with competition and examinations led to Pictou Academy students taking a larger proportion of prizes and bursaries than any other academy in the province. By 1885 it was the largest secondary school in Nova Scotia with students coming from across the province as well as from other countries. As a result, the Academy has a long list of famous graduates in all walks of life.

Many gifts and prizes were left to Pictou Academy by its students and others and in 1916, the centenary committee took on a role of continuing support. In 1919, the committee incorporated itself into the PA Augmentation Fund. Later on, it became The Pictou Academy Educational Foundation

The first building was constructed in 1818 and was used until 1879. A second, larger building opened in 1880 but burned in 1895. The third building also burned and Pictou Academy's current building opened in 1940.

Not only was Pictou Academy an important educational institution, but "Over it was fought the battle of the nineteenth century against unconstitutional government and religious intolerance. It was largely over the rights and wrongs of the Academy more than any other question that the fight was waged and won for responsible government in Nova Scotia." (MacPhie, 1914, p.135)

Traditions

• The Breakup: One of Pictou Academy's oldest traditions is The Breakup. Unlike other secondary/high schools PA doesn't have a prom but celebrates The Breakup instead. It's a time when all the graduates come together for their final dance as a class. Although other grade levels (ten and eleven) are allowed to attend, the night is designed for the grade twelves.

• The Grand March: Closly tied to The Breakup is The Grand March. All of those couples who will be attending The Breakup arrive in the late afternoon, early evening and line up outside The DeCoste Centre in Pictou. They all move down the walkway arm in arm into the theatre. It's a large event, drawing quite a crowd every year.

Sports

The students of Pictou Academy are locally renowned as sports enthusiasts. The school has over twenty different teams, all of which are funded by the school. Among the sports partaken in by the student body are:

• Cross-country
• Badminton
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Dragonboat
• Golf
• Rugby
• Soccer
• Softball
• Track and Field

Notable Graduates

• Sir William Dawson was a notable geologist and educator
• Sir W. J. Ritchie later became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Dr. Frank Parker Day was a well-known Canadian author and English Professor. He became the Academy's first Rhodes Scholar
• Ada Brownrigg received the first Arts degree awarded to a woman in Canada

References

• "Frank Parker Day". Presidents of Union College. 2003.
• MacLaren, George (1954). The Pictou book: Stories of our past. New Glassgow, Nova Scotia: Hector Pub.
• MacPhie, J. P. (1914). Pictonians at home and abroad: Sketches of professional men and women of Pictou County -- its history and institutions. Boston, Massachusetts: Pinkham Press.
• Patterson, George (1972). A history of the County of Pictou, Nova Scotia, 1824-1897. Belleville, Ontario: Mika Studio.
• Sherwood, Roland (1973). Pictou Pioneers: A story of the first hundred years in the history of Pictou town. Hantsport, Nova Scotia: Lancelot Press.
• Whitelaw, Marjory (1985). Thomas McCulloch: His life and times. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia Museum.
• Wood, Anne (1997). Pictou Academy in the nineteenth century. Pictou, Nova Scotia: Author.
• "Concordia University". The Canadian Encyclopedia. 2006.
• "Dawson, Sir John William". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. 2000.
• "Judges of the Court". Supreme Court of Canada Official Autobiography. 2004.