Galt Collegiate Institute and Vocational School
Encyclopedia
Galt Collegiate Institute and Vocational School (GCI) is one of sixteen secondary school
s in the Waterloo Region District School Board
, located in Cambridge
, Ontario
, Canada
.
GCI offers a complete academic and extra-curricular experience to a student body of more than 1,300 in a wide-range of academic and vocational programs.
GCI has been designated as an historic landmark in Cambridge. The school was founded in 1852, with Michael Howe as headmaster, after it was decided to move the grammar school
from Palermo
to Galt. William Tassie became headmaster in 1853. Under his leadership, the school, informally known as "Tassie's School", gained a reputation as one of the top schools in Ontario. It graduated many men who later rose to prominence, including Joseph E. Seagram
. It was one of the first collegiate institute
s in the province.
However, by 1881 Tassie's methods of teaching were deemed outdated, and the entire staff resigned. John E. Bryant became principal and new staff were hired, including Thomas Carscadden, who became principal in 1884. The school, which had formerly been a boarding school
for boys, became a day school for boys and girls. There were 70 students in 1881.
In 1905 a major addition was made to the two-story building. The three-story addition, made of stone quarried from the adjacent Grand River
, opened in 1906.
Carscadden stepped down as principal in 1914, a role performed by A. P. Gundry until his death in 1925. During World War I
, Galt saw a larger proportion of its residents enlist in relation to its population than anywhere else in Canada. Three hundred fifty present and former students enlisted, 48 of whom died while serving. After the war, a plaque was erected in the school commemorating these 48 former students.
Also after World War I, the concept of vocational education
gained popularity in Ontario. The name of the school was changed from "Galt Collegiate Institute" to the present name, and another large addition was made to the school to accommodate vocational classes.
GCI is also home to both the French Immersion, and ESL programs.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s in the Waterloo Region District School Board
Waterloo Region District School Board
Waterloo Region District School Board is the public school board for the Region of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It operates 103 elementary schools, 16 secondary schools, and other facilities, serving 60,000 students in the Region of Waterloo. It has approximately 5500 staff and a budget of $675...
, located in Cambridge
Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
GCI offers a complete academic and extra-curricular experience to a student body of more than 1,300 in a wide-range of academic and vocational programs.
GCI has been designated as an historic landmark in Cambridge. The school was founded in 1852, with Michael Howe as headmaster, after it was decided to move the grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
from Palermo
Palermo, Ontario
Palermo, founded as Hagartown, is a former village in Halton County, Ontario, Canada which has been amalgamated into the town of Oakville....
to Galt. William Tassie became headmaster in 1853. Under his leadership, the school, informally known as "Tassie's School", gained a reputation as one of the top schools in Ontario. It graduated many men who later rose to prominence, including Joseph E. Seagram
Joseph E. Seagram
Joseph Emm Seagram was a British Canadian distillery founder, politician, philanthropist, and major owner of thoroughbred racehorses....
. It was one of the first collegiate institute
Collegiate institute
A collegiate institute is a term that can refer to a school either of secondary education or of higher education. It has a complex definition that varies regionally, and has been largely unused outside of Canada since the early 20th century.-Canada:...
s in the province.
However, by 1881 Tassie's methods of teaching were deemed outdated, and the entire staff resigned. John E. Bryant became principal and new staff were hired, including Thomas Carscadden, who became principal in 1884. The school, which had formerly been a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for boys, became a day school for boys and girls. There were 70 students in 1881.
In 1905 a major addition was made to the two-story building. The three-story addition, made of stone quarried from the adjacent Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
, opened in 1906.
Carscadden stepped down as principal in 1914, a role performed by A. P. Gundry until his death in 1925. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Galt saw a larger proportion of its residents enlist in relation to its population than anywhere else in Canada. Three hundred fifty present and former students enlisted, 48 of whom died while serving. After the war, a plaque was erected in the school commemorating these 48 former students.
Also after World War I, the concept of vocational education
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
gained popularity in Ontario. The name of the school was changed from "Galt Collegiate Institute" to the present name, and another large addition was made to the school to accommodate vocational classes.
GCI is also home to both the French Immersion, and ESL programs.
Notable alumni
- Cabbie Richards
- Graeme FergusonGraeme FergusonIvan Graeme Ferguson, CM is a Canadian filmmaker and inventor who co-invented IMAX. Ferguson was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1993...
(inventor of IMAX film format) - Peter GzowskiPeter GzowskiPeter Gzowski, was a Canadian broadcaster, writer and reporter, most famous for his work on the CBC radio show Morningside. His first biographer argued that Gzowski's contribution to Canadian media must be considered in the context of efforts by a generation of Canadian nationalists to understand...
(until grade 11, when he transferred to Ridley) - Ian LeggattIan LeggattIan Donald Leggatt is a Canadian professional golfer.Leggatt was born in Cambridge, Ontario. He has won one PGA Tour event and one Nationwide Tour event....
- Mary GarofaloMary GarofaloMary Garofalo is a Multi Award Winning anchor, and investigative correspondent.- Career :Anchor and Investigative Reporter Mary Garofalo, is a native of Toronto, she began her broadcast news career in radio, later moving on to television with City TV in Toronto as an anchor and reporter.Her first...