Stanstead College (Stanstead, Quebec)
Encyclopedia
Stanstead College is an independent boarding school in Stanstead, Quebec
Stanstead, Quebec
Stanstead is a town of about 3,000 people, part of the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Québec. Stanstead is located on the Canada-United States border across from Derby Line, Vermont....

, 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...

 for boys and girls in Grades 7 through 12. The school was established in 1872 as Stanstead Wesleyan College. The first headmaster was The Rev, A. Lee Holmes, M.A., (1873–1885). Unusually, the school was founded as a co-educational school but in 1959 became 'boys only'. In 1979, the school returned to its original co-educational status and remains so today.

The school is located on a 600 acres (2.4 km²) campus in Quebec's Eastern Townships
Eastern Townships
The Eastern Townships is a tourist region and a former administrative region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of the Saint Lawrence River and the United States border. Its northern boundary roughly followed Logan's Line, the geologic boundary between the flat,...

 - just north of Vermont - and enrols about 200 students.

The mission of Stanstead College is to provide students from Canada and around the world with a highly structured and supportive educational program in a small, secure environment. The Stanstead experience helps all students reach their full academic potential in preparation for university, develop healthy and active lifestyles, and understand the importance of respect, responsibility and self-discipline.

History

In 1870, a group of Wesleyan ministers met in Sherbrooke and agreed to build a college in the
Eastern Townships. Stock sold at $25 a share, with the hopes of raising $20,000. Whichever community put up $10,000 would be home to the college. Compton was ready to put up $10,000 but Stanstead offered $15,000. The Wesleyan Conference approved the project for Stanstead College in June 1871.Construction began in the fall of 1872, with the cornerstone being laid on December 2, 1872 and the College incorporated on December 24.Construction took place through 1873, and the first classes began in the first week of January 1874. Rev. A. Lee Holmes was the first principal. The slow sale of shares coupled with the low tuition ($5–$10/term plus $2.75/week for room and board) compelled the stockholders to transfer the property of Stanstead Wesleyan College to the Montreal Conference of the Methodist Church of Canada in December 1876. In the eighties, Stanstead College ended its relationship with what by then had become the United Church of Canada and is today fully non-denominational.

1894 – Dr. and Mrs. A.G. Bugbee of Derby Line donate the residence of Albert Knight
Albert Knight (politician)
Albert Knight was a merchant and political figure in Quebec. He represented Stanstead in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1861 to 1866....

, former Stanstead MLA, and have it moved across the field to the College grounds to be used as Bugbee Business College.

1896 – The Pierce family donates Sunnyside Castle to be used as a girls residence.

1902 – The Holmes family donates $3000 to build a grade school for local children, known as the Holmes Model School. It opens in 1903 and remains the local school until 1952 when Sunnyside School is built.

1904 - Canadian college song dedicated to students of Stanstead Wesleyan College by Paul J. Mahlendorff was published by Marriott & Williams, circa 1904 in London.

1905 – New gymnasium built.

1931 – Rev. E.C. Amaron becomes principal, remaining so for 23 years.

1938 – Fire destroys the main building. A new main building, later named Colby House, opens in 1940.

World War II – During the war, the College hosts evacuees from Oldfeld School in Swanage, Dorset.

1946 – Alumni Association donates funds for Memorial Gates.

1951 – Pierce Hall is destroyed by fire.

1958 – Faced with declining enrollment, the school closes Bugbee Business School and the Eastern Townships Music Conservatory. Pierce Hall is rebuilt. Davis House for senior boys and Bugbee House for junior boys open.

1959 – Stanstead College becomes an all-boys residential school. Most local students henceforth attend public schools, including the newly expanded Sunnyside School across from the College.

1965 – Amaron Gymnasium opens.

1968 – LeBaron Hall opens.

1973 – A year of centennial celebrations includes the opening of the Ralph B. Hood Swimming Pool and a visit by Governor-General Roland Michener.

1977 – In the face of Bill 101, Stanstead College chooses to no longer accept funding from the Quebec government. The resulting independence allows the school to maintain control over its policies, including allowing francophone students to enroll without certificates of eligibility.

1979 – Stanstead College returns to co-ed status.

1991 – A new residence for senior girls, Webster House opens.

2001 – The Rec Hall is destroyed by fire. Eight months later a new student centre is built and later named the Eric T. Webster Student Centre.

2004 – The school introduces individual laptop computers into the classrooms and the curriculum.

2011 - The Pat Burns
Pat Burns
Patrick Burns was a National Hockey League head coach. Over 14 seasons between 1988 and 2004, he coached in 1,019 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and New Jersey Devils...

 Arena opens on the Stanstead College campus. Owned by the Town of Stanstead, the arena is leased to and operated by the College.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK