St. Thomas More Collegiate

In 1957, negotiations began between Most Rev. Martin Michael Johnson, Coadjutor Archbishop of Vancouver, and Rev. Brother A.A. Loftus, Provincial Superior of the Congregation of Christian Brothers in North America, to establish a Catholic high school in the Lower Mainland led by the Christian Brothers. By 1960, an agreement between the Christian Brothers and the Archdiocese of Vancouver was reached, and the construction of a 10-room school was completed.

St. Thomas More Collegiate opened its doors in September 1960, with a total of 110 students enrolled in grades 7, 8 and 9. Over the years, enrollment and staff increased. Major construction was carried out on school facilities in 1966, 1978, 1981, 1984, and 1985.

Initially an all-boys school, St. Thomas More Collegiate transitioned to co-education in 1998. Around this time, criminal proceedings began against certain members of the Christian Brothers, some of whom were teaching at STMC.[1] The proceedings were based on allegations of sexual and physical abuse against students at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland. The subsequent lawsuits by Mount Cashel victims threatened to close the school and nearby Vancouver College in 2002 in order to pay financial compensation.[2] After the local community raised $19 million in 2003, the school was spared liquidation.[1] Consequently, the school now operates under a charitable organization known as the STMC Foundation.[3]

In the summer of 2009, the school began phase one of its revitalization plan, which was to construct a new wing of the school. Completed in May 2010, the new wing, named the StanJean Fine Arts Centre, included six new classrooms, including two specialty classrooms for the school's music program. In addition, the school added a courtyard and renovated the existing kitchen, administration offices, and existing classrooms.

After raising over $6.2 million, a new state-of-the-art double gymnasium was completed to replace the old gymnasium in 2013.

St. Thomas More Collegiate is ranked by the Fraser Institute. In 2017, it was ranked 17^th out of 253 schools in British Columbia.[6] The school has consistently been ranked by the Fraser Institute in the top 10% of schools in British Columbia. In the 2017–18 school year, the graduation rate was over 99% and 85% of enrolled students continued on to post-secondary education.[7]

The sports teams in the STMC athletic program are known as the "Knights."

STMC is considered to have one of the finest athletics programs in the region. Many elite athletes in football, basketball, wrestling, track & field, swimming and lacrosse have attended STMC. Some athletes have moved on to post-secondary institutions under athletic scholarships and participated at the collegiate, minor and professional levels. Many of the alumni coaches and trainers are former professional athletes themselves.

• (post 1975) Frank Gnup AAA Provincial Championships: Won 3 of 6 appearances[8]

Both the Varsity Boys and Girls basketball teams participate in the BC Catholic Basketball Championship, one of the largest tournaments in the province of BC. The school has a long-lasting rivalry between nearby Catholic schools Vancouver College and Notre Dame Regional Secondary School.

Despite having earned a reputation as a "jock-oriented" school, it is also recognized for its academic program and its fine and performing arts programs which include instrumental and choral music, vocal jazz, drama, visual arts, and media arts. This program is one of the finest in Canada.

Every year, students from each grade level are elected to a student council for the following school year by their peers. The student government organizes school events, such as dances, pep rallies, and fundraisers.