Collège de Montréal
Encyclopedia
The Collège de Montréal is a private secondary school
for students attending grades
7–11 located in Downtown
Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. A former Roman Catholic Seminary
, it was founded 1 June 1767 as the Petit Séminaire of Montreal by the Suplician Order
. From 1773 to 1803, it was known as Collège Saint-Raphaël.
In the mid-19th century a number of former students went on to become activists for First Nations
and Métis
rights. They included Mohawk
chief Joseph Onasakenrat
and Métis leader Louis Riel
.
It was the first high school
in Montreal and is still considered one of the best in the province. It is particularly well regarded for its "accelerated immersion" program, in which students from English schools who were in French immersion
programs can, within two years, be brought up to the same level as students who came from francophone
schools. Although enrolment was previously limited to boys, the school has been co-educational since 1997. The school's performance hall, the Ermitage, was an important venue for public concerts in Montreal from its establishment in 1914 up into the 1960s.
In a widely reported article in 2008, Le Journal de Montréal
found that school administrators and in particular its Director-General, Jacques Giguère, had expensed a large number of non-school related items, including high-priced furniture, a luxury hotel suite for a Christmas party, and the services of a personal trainer. Both the school's teachers union and staff union called for Giguère's resignation.
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...
for students attending grades
Grade (education)
Grades are standardized measurements of varying levels of comprehension within a subject area. Grades can be assigned in letters , as a range , as a number out of a possible total , as descriptors , in percentages, or, as is common in some post-secondary...
7–11 located in Downtown
Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is nearly enitirely located at the southern most slope of Mount Royal and is approximately bounded by Sherbrooke Street to the north, Papineau Avenue to the east, Guy Street or until Shaughnessy Village to the west,...
Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, 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...
. A former Roman Catholic Seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
, it was founded 1 June 1767 as the Petit Séminaire of Montreal by the Suplician Order
Society of Saint-Sulpice
The Society of Saint-Sulpice is a Catholic Society of Apostolic Life named for Eglise Saint-Sulpice, Paris, in turn named for St. Sulpitius the Pious. Typically, priests become members of the Society of St. Sulpice only after ordination and some years of pastoral work. Uniquely, Sulpicians retain...
. From 1773 to 1803, it was known as Collège Saint-Raphaël.
In the mid-19th century a number of former students went on to become activists for First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
and Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
rights. They included Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
chief Joseph Onasakenrat
Joseph Onasakenrat
Joseph Onasakenrat, also known as Sosé Onasakenrat was a Mohawk chief of Kanesatake.Onasakenrat was born near Oka, Quebec. In 1860, he entered the Petit Séminaire de Montréal where he studied for the priesthood for about four years...
and Métis leader Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
.
It was the first high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Montreal and is still considered one of the best in the province. It is particularly well regarded for its "accelerated immersion" program, in which students from English schools who were in French immersion
French immersion
French immersion is a form of bilingual education in which a child who does not speak French as his or her first language receives instruction in school in French...
programs can, within two years, be brought up to the same level as students who came from francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
schools. Although enrolment was previously limited to boys, the school has been co-educational since 1997. The school's performance hall, the Ermitage, was an important venue for public concerts in Montreal from its establishment in 1914 up into the 1960s.
In a widely reported article in 2008, Le Journal de Montréal
Le Journal de Montréal
Le Journal de Montréal is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is the largest-circulation French-language newspaper in North America. Established by Pierre Péladeau in 1964, it is owned by the Sun Media division of Quebecor Media. It is also Canada's largest tabloid...
found that school administrators and in particular its Director-General, Jacques Giguère, had expensed a large number of non-school related items, including high-priced furniture, a luxury hotel suite for a Christmas party, and the services of a personal trainer. Both the school's teachers union and staff union called for Giguère's resignation.
Notable alumni
Examples include:- Louis RielLouis RielLouis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
- Louis-Joseph PapineauLouis-Joseph PapineauLouis-Joseph Papineau , born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the seigneurie de la Petite-Nation. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–1838. His father was Joseph Papineau, also a famous politician in Quebec...
- Louis-Hippolyte LafontaineLouis-Hippolyte LafontaineSir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine , 1st Baronet, KCMG was the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible government in Canada. He was born in Boucherville, Lower Canada in 1807...
- Martin LapointeMartin LapointeMartin Lapointe is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League for the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, and Chicago Blackhawks.-Playing career:...
- André LussierAndre LussierAndré Lussier, physician, rheumatologist, and Professor Emeritus of the School of Medicine of the University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. He was born in 1933 in Sherbrooke and died in 2009 in Sherbrooke. He completed his classical studies and Baccalauréat ès-art at the Séminaire Oblat de Chambly...
- Émile NelliganÉmile NelliganÉmile Nelligan was a francophone poet from Quebec, Canada.-Biography:Nelligan was born in Montreal on December 24, 1879 at 602, rue de La Gauchetière. He was the first son of David Nelligan, who arrived in Quebec from Dublin, Ireland at the age of 12. His mother was Émilie Amanda Hudon, from...
- Jean-Marc FournierJean-Marc FournierJean-Marc Fournier is a Quebec politician and a lawyer. He currently serves as the Minister of Justice and the Reform of Democratic Institutions in the cabinet of Quebec Premier Jean Charest....
- Quebec's Justice Minister - David Saint-JacquesDavid Saint-JacquesDavid Saint-Jacques is a Canadian astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency . He was selected to join the CSA in the 2009 CSA selection along with Jeremy Hansen....
- Astronaut - Guy BoucherGuy BoucherGuy Boucher is the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League and a former hockey player.-Playing years:Before his coaching years, Boucher played right wing with the McGill Redmen between 1991 and 1995...
- NHL Hockey coach