St. Thomas More Collegiate

St. Thomas More Collegiate, commonly abbreviated as STMC, is an independent private school located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

St. Thomas More Collegiate (STMC)
Address
7450 12th Ave.

, ,
Canada
Coordinates49.2153°N 122.9384°W / 49.2153; -122.9384
Information
School typeIndependent
Motto"Scientia per fidem" — Knowledge through faith
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Founded1960
School boardSTMC Ltd. Board of Directors
PresidentMs. Dianne Doyle
PrincipalMr. Stephen Garland
Grades8–12
Enrollment675
LanguageEnglish
AreaEdmonds, Burnaby
Colour(s)Red, White, Black
     
Team nameKnights
Websitewww.stmc.bc.ca

The school is co-educational, offering academic, fine arts, and business programs, as well as athletic, performing arts, and other extracurricular programs, for students from grades 8 to 12.

The school participates in sporting events under the name of "Knights", with team colors of red, white and black.

History

Beginnings (1957–1985)

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.

Reorganization (1985-2009)

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]

Revitalization (2009-2013)

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.

Past Principals

DateName
1960–1966Brother W. G. McIntrye
1966–1969Brother W. C. Martin
1969–1970Brother D. Frenett
1970–1972Brother R. L. Mackenzie
1972–1978Brother C. H. Slattery
1978–1984Brother Q. R. Carrothers
1984–1989Brother K. E. Short
1989–1997Brother H. J. O’Neill
1997–2000Brother P. J. O’Loughlin
2000–2011Mr. D. Hall
2011–2017Mr. M. DesLauriers
2017–presentMr. S. Garland

Past Presidents

DateName
2002–2006Brother J. Gale
2006–2009Brother D. Sanpietro
2015–2019Mrs. N. Finnie
2019–presentMs. D. Doyle

Status

St. Thomas More Collegiate is classified as a Group 1 school under British Columbia's Independent School Act. It receives 50% of its funding from the Ministry of Education. The school receives no funding for capital costs.[4] The school operates as a non-diocesan school within the Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese (CISVA), meaning the school has more independence regarding its policies, curriculum, and tuition fees.[5]

Performance

The St. Thomas More Collegiate curriculum is symbolized by the Knight's Compass, a Celtic cross with a core field of education at each of the four ends and the Catholic faith at the center of the cross.


Academics

St. Thomas More Collegiate is ranked by the Fraser Institute. In 2017, it was ranked 17th 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]

Athletics

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.

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.

School Teams
Soccer
Volleyball
Track & Field
Basketball
Cross country running
Wrestling
Ultimate Frisbee
Lacrosse
Tennis
Golf
Curling
Swimming

Arts

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.

Clubs & groups

With more than 20 clubs, STMC offers a wide variety of clubs and extracurricular activities. STMC is mainly known for their football and basketball clubs, winning several rewards for both. [9]

Student government

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.

Notable alumni

References

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