Today, Walkerville Collegiate Institute is a topic of great relevance and interest to a wide variety of people in different parts of the world. The impact that Walkerville Collegiate Institute has on our lives is undeniable, whether on a personal, social, economic or political level. Since its emergence, Walkerville Collegiate Institute has been the subject of study, analysis and debate by experts in different areas, who seek to understand its implications and consequences. In this article we will explore from different perspectives the phenomenon of Walkerville Collegiate Institute and its influence on current society, in order to shed light on this widely discussed topic.
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Walkerville Collegiate Institute | |
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Address | |
2100 Richmond Street , , Canada | |
Coordinates | 42°19′02″N 83°00′25″W / 42.31715°N 83.00691°W |
Information | |
School type | Collegiate Institute |
Motto | "Nil Sine Labore" ("Nothing without work") |
Founded | 1922 |
School board | GECDSB |
Principal | Josh Canty |
Vice Principal | Jana LePage-Kljajic |
Senior Secretary | Christine Borysowytsch |
Grades | 9 to 12 |
Enrollment | 854 |
Language | English |
Colour(s) | Blue and White |
Team name | Tartans |
Website | publicboard |
Walkerville Collegiate Institute (WCI) is a secondary school (grades 9 to 12) in the Walkerville area of Windsor, Ontario and managed by the Greater Essex County District School Board. It is the home of the Walkerville Centre for the Creative Arts (WCCA), which has arts programs in drama, dance, visual arts, media, and vocal.
Walkerville hosts one of three Community Living (STEPS Programs) in the district, which serves more than 30 developmentally challenged students. Walkerville also has sports teams which include basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and badminton.
Walkerville's feeder schools include:
Walkerville Collegiate Institute officially opened its doors to the public on September 2, 1922. Located in the Olde Walkerville area, named for Hiram Walker, it is across the street from Willistead Park, the former estate of Edward Chandler Walker, the second son of Hiram Walker.
The school started with 195 students and a staff of ten, with Mr. Robert Meade as Principal. Initially, there were 22 classrooms, an area for manual training for the boys, a cooking and sewing area for the girls, a wood-panelled library, a gymnasium, "The Plunge" pool, and an auditorium.
In 1929, Walkerville's kilted Cadet Corps was formed and the Pipe Band was recognized through competition as the best in the province.
Major renovations were completed in 1957 with the addition of a new gymnasium, cafeteria, rifle range and quartermaster stores and a new music room. The main office was renovated in 1966, new classrooms were added along, and the changing area for the girls' physical education classes was improved.
In 1986, the Community living program was added. In 1989, Walkerville was selected as the home for the Walkerville Centre for the Creative Arts and facilities expanded again to meet the needs of Vocal and Instrumental Music, Art and Dance as well as painting, printmaking and sculpture programs.
Starting in 2021, the school started a major renovation project. The project includes, but is not limited to, the replacement of all the building's windows, the infill of the closed pool, renovation of the cafeteria, relocation of the music and dance classrooms and re–pointing of the exterior masonry.
Today, there are over 800 students and a staff of 70. "Nil sine Labore" (Nothing Without Work) remains the school motto.
WCCA (Walkerville Centre for the Creative Arts), is an art program including drama, dance, visual arts, media arts, vocal and instrumental music. All students must audition to be accepted into the programs. Teachers and small group tutors specializing in a particular arts program collaborate to improve the artistic students in their work.
The WCCA visual arts program includes painting, sculpture, printmaking, and drawing. The students begin with fundamental principles of design and drawing in grade 9. Twice every year, the WCCA visual and media arts students organize a show at the local ArtSpeak gallery. Students have exhibited artwork at Windsor's Art in the Park, and have been included in many other local shows.
The largest section in the music program is the band program. Within the band is another section, known as Wind Ensemble or Senior band. This much smaller group is composed of senior or advanced level band students, and the Wind Ensemble has its own series of performances that run in tandem with the full concert band. Followed by the band program is the Pit Orchestra. Pit Orchestra is, depending on the year and number of students, smaller than Wind Ensemble and typically occurs once a year, with one major performance.
In 2009, WCCA drama participated in the Sears Drama Festival and advanced to the Provincials Showcase level with the play "The Insanity of Mary Girard." The following year, they performed again in the Sears Festival, with the original play "The Holding Room" moving onto the Provincials as well. The play was based on the murder of Reena Virk.
In August 2010, a group of 30 students from the WCCA drama program were invited to Edinburgh, Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. While there, they performed the comedy musical, The Drowsy Chaperone.
In August 2014, A number of students from the WCCA drama program returned to Edinburgh, Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. While they were there, they performed In the Heights.
On May 8, 2020, a former WCCA Drama teacher John-Anthony Nabben was found guilty of professional misconduct, approximately four years after claims were filed that he abused students "physically, sexually, verbally, psychologically or emotionally".
Every Year, WCCA drama enters a play into the Sears Ontario Drama Festival. Recent plays have included:
Most years, Walkerville has the honour of performing two major shows per school year—a straight drama and a musical—with music provided by the WCCA Student Orchestra.