Vancouver College
Encyclopedia
Vancouver College is an all-boys university-preparatory Catholic school (K-12) located in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood of Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
. VC's elementary and secondary programs have a combined population of over 1,000 students. Despite its Catholic denomination, it is open to all religions. The school participates in sporting events under the moniker of the "Fighting Irish".
, a world-wide community of religious brothers of the Catholic
church founded by Edmund Rice
. The school was a fully run boarding school until 1979, when the boarding houses were closed and renovated to its present conditions. Its archived history, displayed through galleries throughout the school, highlights its deep tradition in academia, athletics and the arts.
The school's focus is on the physical, emotional, artistic, athletic, academic and spiritual development of its students. The schools rigorous academic atmosphere, complemented by its strong athletics, strives to provide a strong base from which its students will succeed, highlighted in the school's motto "Leave Here as a Better Man".
's annual School report cards, Vancouver College was ranked 1st in British Columbia
out of approximately 300 schools. It also shares this title with York House School
, Crofton House School
, Little Flower Academy
, St. George's School
and Southridge School
as the province's finest secondary institutions.
Vancouver College's grade twelve students write provincial examinations in core academic subjects and continually score above the provincial average by as much as 10%. Vancouver College students perform well in North American science, mathematics, and essay competitions, consistently placing in the top quartile. Graduates have gone on to study at reputable universities and colleges in North America, Asia, and Europe.
Vancouver College offers many accelerated courses, as well as university courses taught on campus in English 100, History 100, Classical Studies 102, Math 204, Physics 101, Biology 121, Chemistry 121, and French 122.
Students are expected and encouraged to participate in these programs. The football and basketball programs traditionally rank among the top teams in British Columbia, while VC's rowing has performed well at nationals, often ranking first or second. VC's teams are known as the "Fighting Irish", a slogan used as a reflection of school pride.
For the Irish, the 2007-2008 season was full of astounding achievements. The VC and LFA badminton team, as well as the track and field team, came first in the province. Moreover, the rugby team, despite being the first team since 1928, won the lower mainland New Zealand Shield.
In 2010, head Coach Todd Bernett lead the Fighting Irish Varsity football team to their first BC provincial title since 1994.
Student clubs are, much of the time, solely organized and established based on student interest and support, therefore providing opportunities for student leadership.
, SM, The former Archbishop of Vancouver. This new addition to Vancouver College's academic community consists of four brand-new science classrooms, a state-of-the-art "super" laboratory, a greenhouse as well as several offices and classrooms serving the schools curricular and extra-curricular interests.
On January 30, 2008 construction had finished on the schools High Performance Fitness Centre. The centre consists of two floors, the first being a cardiovascular training area, and the other being serving as a weight-training facility. The Fitness Centre is attached directly to the new South Gym as well as the Alumni Gym, servicing as an athletic complex for the benefit of its students and staff.
Following this, the Kucher Performing Arts Centre opened in December 2008, helping to expand the school's grounded traditions in the performing arts.
On September 26, 2009, Vancouver College celebrated the Blessing and Rededication of the O’Hagan Field, featuring an all weather synthetic field. Other enhancements to O'Hagan include a world class track and a new playground for Elementary students.
For Summer dress, Vancouver College students wear the VC Fighting Irish Polo Shirt, along with the Fighting Irish beige coloured shorts. Students may wear different polo shirts as a status of which club or sport they may belong. For example, a student may choose to wear the Vancouver College "Golf", "rowing", "band", "environment club", "rugby", "football" or "badminton" polo, along with others, to distinguish their involvement within the school community during summer dress code.
Along with this, students in Grade 12 are given custom sweaters, unique to their year, to identify themselves as graduating seniors. Through the school's uniform system, students are highly individualized through a variety of options that help distinguish them within the school's community.
The traditional Winter uniform is mandatory for formal ceremonies and presentations.
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, 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...
. VC's elementary and secondary programs have a combined population of over 1,000 students. Despite its Catholic denomination, it is open to all religions. The school participates in sporting events under the moniker of the "Fighting Irish".
History
Vancouver College was founded in 1922 by the Christian BrothersCongregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
, a world-wide community of religious brothers of the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
church founded by Edmund Rice
Edmund Ignatius Rice
Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice , was a Roman Catholic missionary and educationalist. Edmund was the founder of two orders of religious brothers: the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers....
. The school was a fully run boarding school until 1979, when the boarding houses were closed and renovated to its present conditions. Its archived history, displayed through galleries throughout the school, highlights its deep tradition in academia, athletics and the arts.
The school's focus is on the physical, emotional, artistic, athletic, academic and spiritual development of its students. The schools rigorous academic atmosphere, complemented by its strong athletics, strives to provide a strong base from which its students will succeed, highlighted in the school's motto "Leave Here as a Better Man".
Academic performance
In the 2008 edition of the Fraser InstituteFraser Institute
The Fraser Institute is a Canadian think tank. It has been described as politically conservative and right-wing libertarian and espouses free market principles...
's annual School report cards, Vancouver College was ranked 1st in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
out of approximately 300 schools. It also shares this title with York House School
York House School
York House School is an independent girls school for junior kindergarten through grade 12 located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood in the heart of Vancouver. Founded in 1932 as a Canadian school for girls, it adopted an English motto as opposed...
, Crofton House School
Crofton House School
Crofton House School, located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is a private, non-denominational girls' day school.-History:Crofton House School was founded in 1898 by the Gordon sisters, Miss Jessie Gordon and Miss Mary Gordon, in their father's home on Georgia Street with just four girls...
, Little Flower Academy
Little Flower Academy
Little Flower Academy is an independent Catholic girls' day school in Vancouver, British Columbia. Established in 1927, by the Sisters of Saint Ann. It educates students at the secondary level between the grades of eight and twelve...
, St. George's School
St. George's School (Vancouver)
St. George's School , of Vancouver, Canada is an independent boarding and day university-preparatory school for boys.-History:...
and Southridge School
Southridge School
Southridge School is a K-12 independent coeducational school in South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. It is a regional school, serving from as far away as Richmond and Ladner, though most students are from the White Rock, South Surrey area.-Facilities:...
as the province's finest secondary institutions.
Vancouver College's grade twelve students write provincial examinations in core academic subjects and continually score above the provincial average by as much as 10%. Vancouver College students perform well in North American science, mathematics, and essay competitions, consistently placing in the top quartile. Graduates have gone on to study at reputable universities and colleges in North America, Asia, and Europe.
Vancouver College offers many accelerated courses, as well as university courses taught on campus in English 100, History 100, Classical Studies 102, Math 204, Physics 101, Biology 121, Chemistry 121, and French 122.
Sports
Athletics is a key part of the tradition and culture of Vancouver College. The school competes in many sports, including- BadmintonBadmintonBadminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
- WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
- Cross-countryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- Downhill skiing
- FootballCanadian footballCanadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
- SnowboardingSnowboardingSnowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
- Soccer
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- RowingRowing (sport)Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- Track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
- LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
- RugbyRugby footballRugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
- SquashSquash (sport)Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
For the Irish, the 2007-2008 season was full of astounding achievements. The VC and LFA badminton team, as well as the track and field team, came first in the province. Moreover, the rugby team, despite being the first team since 1928, won the lower mainland New Zealand Shield.
In 2010, head Coach Todd Bernett lead the Fighting Irish Varsity football team to their first BC provincial title since 1994.
Extracurricular
Vancouver College has many student clubs, many of which include:- Student Council
- Environment Club
- Graduation Committee
- Senior Edmundians
- Junior Edmundians
- The annual "One World One Heart" Social Justice Conference
- The Lettermen Society
- Debate Society
- Yearbook: The Collegian
- Social Justice Club
- Science Club (STRINGS)
- The Voice Newspaper
- Reach for the Top
- Pro-Life
- Model United Nations
- Vancouver College Blood Donors
- VC Ambassadors
- Peer Tutoring
Student clubs are, much of the time, solely organized and established based on student interest and support, therefore providing opportunities for student leadership.
Notable alumni
- Shea Emry - Linebacker, Montreal AlouettesMontreal AlouettesThe Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
- Angus Reid - Centre, BC LionsBC LionsThe BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
- Bryan ChiuBryan ChiuBryan Chiu is a retired professional Canadian football player who played centre for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League since the 1997 CFL season...
- Centre, Montreal AlouettesMontreal AlouettesThe Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions... - Sean Fleming - Kicker/Punter, Edmonton EskimosEdmonton EskimosThe Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
- Rob LeBlanc - Slotback, Edmonton EskimosEdmonton EskimosThe Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
- Kevin EibenKevin EibenKevin Eiben is a professional Canadian football linebacker currently playing for Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.- Early years :...
- Linebacker, Toronto ArgonautsToronto ArgonautsThe Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta... - Jamie BorehamJamie BorehamJamie Boreham is a professional Canadian football punter/placekicker in the Canadian Football League who currently plays for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was acquired by the Bombers from the Saskatchewan Roughriders on October 2, 2011...
- Kicker/Punter, Saskatchewan RoughridersSaskatchewan RoughridersThe Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor... - Bob AcklesBob AcklesRobin Ackles was a Canadian Football League executive for the BC Lions. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2002....
- President, BC LionsBC LionsThe BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... - Raymond SawadaRaymond SawadaRaymond Masao Sawada is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger currently playing for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League He played at Cornell University from 2004–2008, where he was co-captain as a senior and a member of the Quill and Dagger society...
- Hockey prospect, Dallas StarsDallas StarsThe Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The... - Tony GallagherTony GallagherTony Gallagher is a British newspaper editor.-Career:Gallagher attended Finchley Catholic High School and Bristol University and then City University London before becoming a journalist at the Southern Evening Echo in Southampton and then South West News press agency back in Bristol...
- Columnist, Vancouver Province - Peter DyakowskiPeter DyakowskiPeter Stefan Dyakowski is an offensive lineman for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.- Early years :Dyakowski did not start playing football until he entered Grade 10 at Vancouver College...
- Offensive lineman, Hamilton Tiger-CatsHamilton Tiger-CatsThe Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium... - Jacob LenskyJacob LenskyJacob Lensky is a Canadian-born Czech professional soccer player who currently plays with Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie.-Youth career:Lensky was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and attended Vancouver College...
- Soccer player, FC Utrecht - Ryan Cheng - YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
sensation- known as Boss Nguyen or TheChengman
New Wing
On November 2, 2007, Vancouver College officially opened the Holler Family Science Centre and the new South Gym. The facilities were blessed by The Most Rev. Raymond RoussinRaymond Roussin
Raymond Roussin was the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver from 2004 to January 2009, when his resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI.-Ordination:...
, SM, The former Archbishop of Vancouver. This new addition to Vancouver College's academic community consists of four brand-new science classrooms, a state-of-the-art "super" laboratory, a greenhouse as well as several offices and classrooms serving the schools curricular and extra-curricular interests.
On January 30, 2008 construction had finished on the schools High Performance Fitness Centre. The centre consists of two floors, the first being a cardiovascular training area, and the other being serving as a weight-training facility. The Fitness Centre is attached directly to the new South Gym as well as the Alumni Gym, servicing as an athletic complex for the benefit of its students and staff.
Following this, the Kucher Performing Arts Centre opened in December 2008, helping to expand the school's grounded traditions in the performing arts.
On September 26, 2009, Vancouver College celebrated the Blessing and Rededication of the O’Hagan Field, featuring an all weather synthetic field. Other enhancements to O'Hagan include a world class track and a new playground for Elementary students.
Uniform
For Winter dress, Vancouver College students wear grey dress pants, long-sleeved white dress shirt, and the school tie. Students must always wear black Oxford-style shoes except in the summer where they may be substituted with sandals worn with socks. In cases of inclement weather, students may choose to wear one of four school sweaters: The traditional winter sweater, the traditional Varsity Letterman sweater, the tradition Edmundian sweater, or the Student Council sweater. Students may also opt to wear the school Monogrammed Bomber jacket, or the traditional Varsity Lettermans jacket.For Summer dress, Vancouver College students wear the VC Fighting Irish Polo Shirt, along with the Fighting Irish beige coloured shorts. Students may wear different polo shirts as a status of which club or sport they may belong. For example, a student may choose to wear the Vancouver College "Golf", "rowing", "band", "environment club", "rugby", "football" or "badminton" polo, along with others, to distinguish their involvement within the school community during summer dress code.
Along with this, students in Grade 12 are given custom sweaters, unique to their year, to identify themselves as graduating seniors. Through the school's uniform system, students are highly individualized through a variety of options that help distinguish them within the school's community.
The traditional Winter uniform is mandatory for formal ceremonies and presentations.