Trafalgar Castle School: Difference between revisions
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Trafalgar Castle hosted its share of royalty and dignitaries through the years. Both as Reynolds' residence, then as Ontario Ladies' College and now as Trafalgar Castle School. |
Trafalgar Castle hosted its share of royalty and dignitaries through the years. Both as Reynolds' residence, then as Ontario Ladies' College and now as Trafalgar Castle School. |
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The current Head of School is Adam de Pencier. |
The current Head of School is Adam de Pencier. He holds a BA and MA from Queen's University, a MA from the University of Chicago, and a M.Ed from Columbia University.<ref>http://www.castle-ed.com/heads_message</ref> |
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==Student life== |
==Student life== |
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Revision as of 17:32, 24 October 2010
| Trafalgar Castle School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , , L1N3W9 | |
| Information | |
| School type | girls and young women Private Boarding/Day |
| Founded | 1874 |
| Headmaster | Adam de Pencier |
| Grades | grades 5 through 12 |
| Language | English |
| Campus | Suburban/Rural Ontario setting |
| Colour(s) | Blue Marine and White |
| Mascot | Dante the Dragon |
| Affiliation | Methodists |
| Website | www.castle-ed.com |
Trafalgar Castle School in Whitby, Ontario is a private day and residential school for girls and young women in grades 5 through 12, but available for boarding since grade 7 . It was founded in 1874 as Ontario Ladies' College, making it one of the oldest independent schools in Canada.
The castle was built by Nelson Gilbert Reynolds, Sheriff of Ontario County, as a private residence in 1859. Reynolds was named after Lord Nelson and named his castle Trafalgar in honour of the Battle of Trafalgar.
The castle was the largest private dwelling in Canada until Casa Loma was built. It cost Reynolds $70 000, which was an exorbitant sum; a home at that time was built for $2000, and a bank complete with vault could be built for $5000 to $7000. Reynolds was a colourful character and a gambling man, and indeed it was gambling losses that reportedly forced him to sell his beloved home to the Methodists in 1874 for the sum of $30 000.
The Methodists of that day were very interested in establishing higher learning institutions for young women. Rev. J. E. Sanderson convinced the Town of Whitby that this would be extremely beneficial to its economy. James Holden, Esq. founder of the Dominion Bank, a local politician and businessman (with 5 daughters of his own) supported this idea. Sanderson and Holden were instrumental in raising the money and shares for the purchase of the castle and the establishment of Ontario Ladies' College.
Trafalgar Castle hosted its share of royalty and dignitaries through the years. Both as Reynolds' residence, then as Ontario Ladies' College and now as Trafalgar Castle School.
The current Head of School is Adam de Pencier. He holds a BA and MA from Queen's University, a MA from the University of Chicago, and a M.Ed from Columbia University.[1]
Student life
The school has about 240 day and boarding students; girls from Grade 7 to Grade 12, from many countries such as Mexico, Korea, China, England, Spain, Nigeria, Jamaica, and Japan are some of the countries of boarding students. The boarding program starts in grade 7,. While the school was historically Methodist, students are from all faiths.
Students gather in the Chapel each morning for presentations based on different themes, such as values or oral presentations with speakers for each theme. Each week and singing on Fridays. At lunch, everyone gathers for a communal meal in the Dining Hall where student sport's announcement and daily events are made.
House system
Trafalgar Castle School is split into four houses: Maxwell (blue), Farewell (green), Hare (yellow,) and Carter (red). Each house was named after a prominent member of OLC/Trafalgar’s history: Annie Allison Maxwell, dean of OLC for 29 years, Reverend Francis L. Farewell, 2nd principal of OLC, Reverend John James Hare.
Each student is assigned to a house upon arrival at Trafalgar, where they are to mingle and meet students within their house. Students accumulate house points for participation in academic and extracurricular activities. At the end of the year, the house with the most points win the house cup. In the 2008-2009 school year, the house cup was won by Carter. Being part of a house in Trafalgar is a very privileged thing because you can represents your spirit in "House Games" and "House Plays".
Athletics
Trafalgar has teams of various age levels in the following sports:
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Field hockey
- Gymnastics
- Ice hockey
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Track and Field
- Tennis
- Volleyball
Clubs
Trafalgar offers many after school clubs such as:
- FIRST Robotics(USFIRST Robotics Competition FRC Team 1547 [http://www.usfirst.org
- FIRST Lego League Robotics Team (FLL)
- S.W.A.T. (Science Women And Technology)
- Z.A.P. (Zealous Art Promoters)
- Culture Club
- Knitting Club (Sit and Knit)
- Peer Mediation
- Bookworms
- GirlTalk
- Debating Society
See also
- Branksome Hall School
- St. Andrew's College
- St. Clement's School
- Crescent School
- St. Michael's College School
- Royal St. George's College
- Upper Canada College
- Havergal College
- Ridley College
- Trinity College School
- Lakefield College School
- CISAA
References
External links
- Official Trafalgar Castle School website
- Trafalgar’s Robotics website – Team 1547
- Alumnae Directory
- Wedding Rentals
- Historic Photos of Trafalgar Castle at Whitby Public Library and Archives Digital Photo Collection
