| Galt Collegiate Institute and Vocational School | |
 Always Prepared |
|
| Address | |
| 200 Water St. N Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 6V2, Canada |
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| Coordinates | 43°22′7.37″N 80°19′6.70″W / 43.3687139°N 80.318528°W |
| Information | |
| School board | Waterloo Region District School Board |
| Principal | Jane Currie |
| Vice principal | David Wilson
Bev Wood Bryce Macey |
| School type | High School |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Language | English |
| Area | Downtown / North Galt |
| Mascot | Ghost |
| Team name | Galt Ghosts |
| Colours | Red, Blue and Gold |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Enrollment | ~1300 (September 2006) |
| Homepage | http://gci.wrdsb.on.ca/ |
Galt Collegiate Institute and Vocational School (GCI) is one of sixteen secondary schools in the Waterloo Region District School Board, Ontario, Canada.
GCI offers a complete academic and extra-curricular experience to a population of more than 1,300 students in a wide-range of academic and vocational programs.
GCI has been designated as an historic landmark in the Cambridge area and is the oldest continuously-operating educational institution in Ontario. 2002 was its 150th anniversary year.
The school was founded in 1852, with Michael Howe as Headmaster, after it was decided to move the grammar school in Palermo to Galt. William Tassie became headmaster in 1853. Under his leadership, the school, informally known as "Tassie's School", gained a reputation as one of the top schools in Ontario. It graduated many men who later rose to prominence, such as Joseph E. Seagram. It was one of the first collegiate institutes in the province.
However, by 1881 Tassie's methods of teaching were felt to be outdated, and the entire staff resigned. John E. Bryant became principal and new staff were brought in, including Thomas Carscadden, who became principal in 1884. The school, which had formerly been a boarding school for boys, became a day school for boys and girls. There were 70 students in 1881.
In 1905 a major addition was made to the two-story building. The three-story addition, made of stone quarried from the adjacent Grand River, opened in 1906.
Carscadden stepped down as principal in 1914. Between 1914 and his death in 1925, A. P. Gundry was principal. During World War I, Galt saw a larger proportion of its residents enlist in relation to its population than anywhere else in Canada. Three hundred fifty present and former students enlisted, 48 of whom died while serving. After the war, a plaque was erected in the school commemorating these 48 former students.
Also after World War I, the concept of vocational education gained popularity in Ontario. The name of the school was changed from "Galt Collegiate Institute" to the present name, and another large addition was made to the school to accommodate vocational classes.
GCI is also home to both the French Immersion, and ESL programs.
Notable alumni
- Cabbie Richards
- Graeme Ferguson (inventor of IMAX film format)
- Peter Gzowski (until grade 11, when he transferred to Ridley)
External links
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