St. Michaels University School Centennial Year :: K-12 day and boarding school
K.C. Symons opening teh new building in 1959

September 11, 1959.

St. Michael's celebrates its 50th anniversary with the opening of a new $125,000 school building at 820 Victoria Avenue.

K.C. Symons is pictured cutting the ribbon

 
Victoria is situated on the southern tip of Vancouver Island on Canada's beautiful West Coast. Students enjoy a wide variety of outdoor opportunities.
St. Michaels University School History
1958-1964
Archives
A Walk Through History
1906 - 1911
1911 - 1917
1917 - 1930
1930 - 1948
1948 - 1958
1958 - 1964
1965 - 1982
1984 - 1994
1994 - 2005


Legend:
University School
St. Michael's School
St. Michaels University School

 
 

1958-1959
The School commemorates the long and close association with St. Luke's Church by a stained glass window, depicting a University School boy kneeling in prayer.

University School is represented in the March 7th edition of a worldwide circulation"Illustrated London News", as the first Canadian School to be included in the series "The Education of British Youth".

New tennis courts are completed—the gift of Mrs. W.L. McCormick of Tacoma, Washington.

The grounds, thanks to Mr. Logan Mayhew, are surrounded by a fence and many chestnuts, maples and other trees are planted.

The Bursary Fund is established by the Old Boys and friends of the school.

Hurdles, 120 yards

1958-1959 hurdles, 120 yards - John Todd, Rusty Cressman, Robert Wittke, Ian Ogle.

After the Oak Bay Fire Chief inspects the School, he declares it to be in terrible shape and calls the school a "fire trap". He gives St. Michael's a six-month ultimatum.

Kyrle appeals to the parents and Old Boys for support at Prize Day and plans to relocate the school onto a lovely property on Victoria Avenue are created shortly thereafter.

Kyrle Sr. finally retires completely in 1958 and is succeeded by his son K.W. Symons who continues as Headmaster until his retirement in 1970.

The School sells the three lots and the society of Old Boys raise $80,000; and with the $50,000 bank loan, the new buildings are able to go up that summer.

1959-1960
XX Club is formed to give recognition and standing to those boys who, in the opinion of the officers of the society, were contributing most to the general life of the school.

The new St. Michael's School is opened and within six years is able to pay all of its debts.

1960-1961
The citation to Captain Harvey in the book of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in St. George's Church, Ypres is discovered by the party of boys on the European Tour.

The grave of Captain Rupert Valentine Harvey

The grave of Captain Rupert Valentine Harvey, one of the Founders of University School who served in World War I, is located in Ypres, France by the 1961 U.K. Rugby Tour members.

Founders House and Brentwood House are replaced by Barnacle House and Bolton House respectively, as a group of Old Brentonians form a new association to start a new Brentwood college at Mill Bay, using the colours and crest, etc. of the old college. Since this would inevitably lead to confusion and misunderstanding it was decided to re-name the Houses after the Founders of the School.

1961-1962
The Chapel, built by the boys and designed by the school art teacher, is officially opened on May 20th by the Archbishop of British Columbia, Harold Sexton.

1963-1964
The Old Classroom block is completed by the addition of six new classrooms, washrooms, and boxrooms. On the main floors and the excavation of the basement a new science floor with separate laboratories, lecture theatre and a classroom, as well as the storage and preparation rooms are also constructed.

For the first time in the School's history, the corps is organized on a Battalion basis. There are two companies of three platoons each.

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