7 minute read
MAKING History
1/ Year 1 – 1909
Dr. Charles S. Fosbery, who had arrived from England in 1900 to serve as choirmaster at St. John's School, took a bold step in 1907 by purchasing land on Royal Avenue to establish his own school. Driven by a vision to provide an education rooted in the British tradition, he founded Lower Canada College, which officially opened its doors to boys on September 20, 1909.
2/ Crest and Motto
When Dr. Fosbery opened LCC, he based the school’s crest, and its motto Non Nobis Solum, on his own family crest and motto. This distinctive school signature has endured ever since, reinforcing the sense of responsibility we share as part of the LCC community.
3/ Beyond Blue and Grey
LCC’s original colours were dark blue and grey. Cardinal red was added in 1912. Today’s colours also include yellow, as seen in our school crest.
4/ What’s in a Name?
LCC received its name in early 1909 following suggestions and an informal vote by students and staff. The favoured choice was Lower Canada College.
5/ Pandemic Responses
The school closed for five weeks in 1918 at the height of the influenza pandemic that raged globally for over two years following the end of World War I. During the more recent COVID-19 pandemic, LCC shifted to online learning from March through June 2020. The 2021–2022 academic year was characterized by fixed classroom cohorts and hybrid learning, with half the students on campus at any given time.
6/ Author, author! Hugh MacLennan at LCC
During a decade spent teaching at LCC (1935–1945), renowned novelist Hugh MacLennan worked nights on Barometer Rising, which became his first successful book. In June 1938, the LCC Magazine published MacLennan’s article titled “Concussion”, believed to be the origin of this best-selling work, published in 1941.
7/ A Symphony of School Spirit
First sung during the 1936 return-toschool assembly, the lyrics to LCC’s school song, Non Nobis Solum, resulted from a project by a small group of early alumni. They composed the original verses, since modernized, and combined them with a melody selected from a famous Brahms symphony (#1 in C Minor, Opus 68).
8/ Closing the Boarding Era
Although LCC originally accepted boarders as well as day students, boarding ended as of September 1962 and the second-floor space was converted into eight new classrooms.
9/ Chronicles of LCC
Based on his extensive personal knowledge of serving LCC for more than three decades (both as teacher and later as headmaster), Dr. D. Stephen Penton compiled a lengthy and detailed history of the school, Non Nobis Solum, published in 1972. The book remains a primary source of information about the school’s first half-century of achievements and challenges, plus details of a wide roster of memorable faculty, former students, and events.
10/ Welcome Girls!
Girls were first admitted to LCC in 1992, with enrolment in the school’s Pre-University program. The school became fully coeducational in 1995.
11/ Bridging the Gap
The brainchild of former assistant head Martin Hardiman, the Middle School was formed in 1995 as a division focused on helping students make the transition from elementary to high school. John Bower, Cheryl Doxas, and Rob Tipney were the first co-leaders.
12/ Weathering the Storm
LCC was closed for nine school days during the 1998 Ice Storm, but we withstood the unprecedented weather and emerged stronger as a community. The unsung heroes were Gerry Bodington and his plant staff who kept watch over the building and then completed a massive clean-up.
13/ Stamp of Approval
Since 1999, LCC has been certified by the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools network, a highly regarded association of over 90 member schools. It is a member of the Quebec Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools and, in 2023, was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
14/ Lions — Lost and Found
It was a sad day when, in 2000, the pair of stone lions at the school’s front entrance were found to have been pulled down and stolen overnight. Fortunately, the same lions were spotted a year later by an LCC teacher who was visiting antique shops on Notre-Dame Street. The shop owner returned the missing sculptures, and today they have been made impossible to remove from their concrete bases.
15/ Royal Visits
The first serving member of royalty to visit LCC was the UK’s Prince Edward who, in 2008, took part in the Duke of Edinburgh awards program (on behalf of his father Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who founded the award program). His sister, Princess Anne, presented these awards at LCC in 2015. In 2018, former King Constantine of Greece visited LCC during the Round Square conference.
16/ Debating Dynamos
Over the years, nine of our students have been members of the national debate team. LCC’s Matthew Anzarouth ’20, Pre-U ’21 was a member of the Canadian team that won the world championships in both 2020 and 2021.
17/ LCC Turns 100
In 2009 our school celebrated its 100th anniversary. To kick off the celebrations, a school-wide assembly featured greetings from the Montreal Canadiens organization and our oldest-living alumnus at the time, John Ellis ’32, numerous student presentations, and a birthday cake big enough to feed the entire school. The year was characterized by many festivities, including a community gala, a special LIONfest, a girls-only cocktail, and the dedication of the Dave Wood Field.
18/ LCC Sets Guinness World Record
Four hundred and forty-three LCC students started the PACER test of aerobic fitness (The 'Beep' Test) on October 27, 2010. Three hundred and twenty-three students completed 42 beeps, setting the Guinness World Record for 'Most Participants in the Bleep Test at a Single Venue’ (note: it is known as the 'Bleep' test in the UK, but 'Beep' in Canada).
19 /WWII Hero
Until the past decade, LCC alumnus James Campbell Clouston (1917) remained a little-known military hero. In 1940, the seasoned naval commander was killed while serving as harbourmaster directing the evacuation of 200,000 British troops from Dunkirk, France, while under bombardment by enemy forces. His achievement has since attracted greater public attention, with stories appearing in Canadian media and Parks Canada erecting a plaque in 2017 to honour him, located along the lakeside in Lachine, QC.
20/ The World Comes to LCC
The World Comes to LCC LCC hosted hundreds of students and educators from around the world for the Round Square International Conference in 2018. The theme was “Bring Your Difference”.
21/ Independence from Government Subsidies
At the end of 2022, LCC made the bold decision to forgo Quebec government funding, allowing the school to open its doors to qualified students of all backgrounds. This move reflects its promise to ensure greater accessibility and inclusive learning.
