Eastwood Collegiate Institute

The school was built in 1956, located on what was then the recently extended East Avenue (now Weber Street). The architect for the building was the company of Barnett & Rieder. Most of the school consists of a long classroom block that runs parallel to Weber Street. There is a large entrance stair at the south side of the classroom block, with the school offices to the north and the gymnasium, whose walls are of ribbed brick, to the south. The architecture of the school received international attention when it opened.

Exterior view

The School's crest was designed by Former Eastwood Student Doug Rickert in 1957. Designed to reveal both the school's name but also the components of its life blood. According to the 1956-1957 Eastwood Yearbook, CHIPS, "The rising sun...denotes not only 'East', but also the light given by our leadership to other schools and the community around us. The maple leaves provide the 'wood', and in addition signify our pride in holding a place in the educational system of Canada. The open book signifies the great store of knowledge readily available, and the desire to receive it, both present in our school. The motto...has also been included in the attractive crest which is a suitable emblem of our school".

Eastwood Collegiate Institute is currently the only school in the Waterloo Regional District School Board (WRDSB) that boasts an industry-standard auditorium facility. The auditorium seats just under 500 people. It is also equipped with a custom-installed hemp rope system (named for the type of rope once used) with over 20 bars. The lighting inventory is also the largest in the region's school board. The aud is run and maintained by ECI's Tech Crew. Tech Crew is responsible for shows in and outside of the auditorium, totaling over 15 major shows each year. These may include seasonal Dance Shows and Music Shows, the annual arts program Gala, the semiannual Musical Production, the Commencement ceremonies, School Dances and the annual Spring playday ('Spring Thing'). Hours contributed by the ETC gross 5000 annually

The Rebel Lion

The school's original mascot, Johnny Rebel, was chosen to represent Eastwood's original rebellious spirit (many of the original teachers had left KCI to come to Eastwood). In 1998, it was decided that Johnny Rebel no longer personified what it meant to be a Rebel because of the attached history and racism of the Confederate army's fight to maintain slavery. At that point, the [[Flags of the Confederate States of America#Confederate flag|Confederate flag] was a prominent feature of his costume, and a version of the flag could be seen on the previous cafeteria mural, with Canadian Maple-Leaves replacing the stars). A contest was held among the students and staff to design a new mascot. Eventually, it was decided that two lions (one male and one female, wearing a football jersey and a basketball jersey respectively, would be used to reflect the school's "Rebel Pride". In 2005, another contest was held for another overhaul of the mascot, with students and staff again submitting designs. Ultimately, a design by former Eastwood art teacher David Okum was selected. The "Rebel Lion" combines both old and new - a lion in an updated soldier's uniform. The name was chosen so that when the words were pushed together, the word "Rebellion" was formed.. In 2020 the school announced that they were seeking alternatives to the name Rebel. Both as a response to cultural shifts, and an attempt to self-define future vision, the school undertook garnering staff, student and community suggestions for exploring new mascots, and imagery.

Eastwood is particularly noted for its specialized arts program, known as the "Integrated Arts Program". The Arts Program offers courses in Drama, Dance, Music: Instrumental, Strings, Vocal, and Visual arts. Talented students come to Eastwood from all over Waterloo Region and beyond to be an Arts Program student. Keeping to its integrated nature, academics are incredibly important and necessary for all students. Success in academics as well as arts to attain a high-school diploma is mandatory.

Specialist High Skills Major logo

This new program complements the already successful IAP. This program is newly developed and brings the technical side of the arts to the students. Programs in lighting, sound, stage managing, stage and set design, costume design and creation, are just a few of the offerings. Supported in part by members of Waterloo Region's Arts Community, the program began in the 2008-2009 school year.

In recent years the school has had a number of much needed renovations. A new library, dance studio, front steps, elevator, a re-vitalized woodworking shop, a (recently demolished) costume room, and a brand new sprinkler system completed in 2005 to bring the school up to fire code.

Beginning March 2007, a massive renovation began at the school, which includes new windows for the whole building, new ventilation system, new boiler system, and hiding the sprinkler pipes installed 2 years prior. Air conditioning is being installed, but will not be available to the whole school, only certain special parts will have it (such as computer labs) but the average classroom will not.

• Eastwood Collegiate celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006.
• They received a special visit from former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin in 2006.
• They celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2016.

• Charity Brown - Recording artist
• David Barr Chilton - Author of The Wealthy Barber, speaker, and television personality on Dragons' Den (Canada)
• Dave Farrow - Guinness World Record Holder (Memory)
• Markus Koch - Former American football defensive lineman for the Washington Redskins in the National Football League
• C. Ian Kyer[1] - Lawyer, historian, author[2]and playwright[3]
• Gabriel Landeskog - Active NHL hockey player and captain of the Colorado Avalanche
• Kneale Mann - Former radio program director, music director, and announcer for 102.1 the Edge, 97.7 HTZ-FM, DAVE Rocks, and Live 88.5; now a leadership and media consultant
• Alex Mustakas - Theatre director and entrepreneur
• Angelo Raffin - Canadian football player (Montreal Alouettes, Toronto Argonauts) who won the Grey Cup with Montreal in 1970
• Karen Redman - Member of Parliament, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, Chief Government Whip
• Mike Richards - Former NHL hockey player (Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings)
• Jeff Skinner - Active NHL hockey player (Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres)
• Mike Stevens - Retired NHL hockey player (Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs)
• Scott Stevens - Retired NHL hockey player (Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues) and inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 2007
• Fitzroy Vanderpool - Boxing champion

• List of high schools in Ontario

• Images of Progress 1946–1996: Modern Architecture in Waterloo Region. Twin City/Dwyer Printing Co, Kitchener, Ontario. 1996. ISBN 0-919423-51-5.

• Official website
• Eastwood Jazz Combo Website
• Official Website of the Waterloo Region District School board