HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-01-29, Page 88 News Record • Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Hinc Lucem: The Founding of Clinton Collegiate Institute
David Yates
What became known as the
Clinton Collegiate Institute
began as the Clinton Gram-
mar School in 1866. Modeled
on the English public school
tradition, the grammar schools
gave students an advanced
education based for students
pursuing higher education. In
Clinton, like every other com-
munity that aspired to great-
ness, the establishment of a
secondary school was a vital
step in the town's cultural
development.
According to 'The History of
Clinton' (1975), Mr. Argo, a
graduate of Oxford University,
was the Clinton Grammar
School's first headmas-
ter. Classes were held on the
'top floor of a frame building
on Rattenbury Street East' but
soon the demand for space
outgrew its humble location. It
seems the school held classes
in the Clinton Masonic Hall
and the Central School before
the need for a separate build-
ing was deemed necessary.
Funding anew school build-
ing was a major challenge for
the Clinton Grammar School
Board of Trustees. In 1867-68,
Board Chairman and famed
South Sea explorer and
anthropologist, Horatio Hale
found a unique solution. Since
the provincial grammar school
grant was calculated on the
basis that female students
were only worth half of the
funding of their male counter-
parts, Hale argued that boys
and girls students should
receive equal funding.
In a series of letters to Eger-
ton Ryerson, the Chief Super-
intendent of Education, Hale
contended that since 'the girls
continue to come to the
school, and the teacher has the
labour of instructing them'
then girls should funded on
the same basis as boys. Hale
also argued that the potential
`evils' of mixing boys and girls
together in high schools would
be diminished because true
education advanced moral
restraint.
Reverend Ryerson agreed
and, in 1868, the Clinton
Grammar School became,
perhaps, the first secondary
school in Ontario to receive
equal funding for male and
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female students. Yet, in 1875
what was now called the Clin-
ton County High School still
lacked its own building.
The issue came to a head in
November 1875 when a John
George Hodgins, Ryerson's
Deputy Superintendent
reported that the cramped
'accommodation' was 'insuffi-
cient.' for a proper High
School. If the trustees did not
'erect a suitable building for' a
High School, they would lose
their grant money. As 'The
Clinton New -Era' succinctly
put it, the issue was 'School, or
No School: The paper argued
that 'the necessity for building
is absolute.'
The editor forcefully main-
tained that the 'Clinton High
School has obtained preemi-
nence as an institution of
learning' that can only be
enhanced by the erection of a
school building which would
draw large numbers of schol-
ars. Not only was the 'moral
effect of higher education' was
'plain to be seen' but, indeed,
the town's prosperity was
dependent on the building of a
high school because many
families had settled in Clinton
to take advantage of the oppor-
tunities of higher education.
In January 1876, the school
trustees purchased 3.5 acres in
the northeast corner of the
town at a place known as Gib-
bons Hill (the current location
of Central Huron Secondary
School) for $1,050. The
builder, William Little, erected
the two story yellow brick
Gothic style building on the
west end of the property. Sev-
enty pupils entered the school
through the tower entrance for
the first time on January 8,
1877. With four 'well lighted
and ventilated school rooms,
and two large halls on each
flat' the school was considered
a fine 'handsome' building at
$4,500.
A March 1878 advertise-
ment for the Clinton High
School boasted that 'this
School prepares pupils for the
Universities and for entering
upon the professions. Special
attention is given to the studies
of Public School Teachers.' The
school had a diverse curricu-
lum, which offered courses in
Natural Philosophy, Chemis-
try, the Classics, Modem Lan-
guages, Mathematics, English
and History. It was all the more
remarkable when one consid-
ers that Head Master James
Turnbull had only two 'assist-
ants' or teachers to deliver the
curriculum.
Prospective students were
advised that 'good board can
be obtained in respectable
families at from $2 to $3 per
The Royal Canadian Legion would like to thank all who helped
make our annual Elimination Draw held on New Year's Day a
success once again this year. Congratulations to all our winners.
ELIMINATION DRAW WINNERS
EARLY BIRD DRAWS
PAUL CHAMBERS $1 50
CINDY EATON $100
JENNIFER MACLEOD $50
JANUARY 1, 2014
LINDSAY MINERS $100
RUSTY BRANDON $50
GINA SHROPSHALL $100
RON DRISCOLL $50
ALICE BROCHU $100
ROBERT PAOLA $50
RON JEWITT $1 00
ORRIN BAIRD $50
KELLY ATKINSON $1 00
DENNIS VALENTA $200
GINA SHROPSHALL $300
KIM STATIA $400
JOHN MCKENZIE $1 000 (SPLIT)
RIENK FEDDES $1 000 (SPLIT)
A postcard of the Clinton Collegiate Institute circa 1910
courtesy of the Toronto Public Library.
week'. As the school lacked a
library, students were advised
that for only $1 per year, they
could have access to the 'well -
supplied reading room of the
Clinton Mechanics Institute.'
In 1885, the addition of a
library, gymnasium and
greater emphasis on Classical
Studies elevated the school to
a Collegiate Institute. Clinton
Collegiate Institute became
'one of the leading attractions
of the town' as pupils enrolled
from all over the county.
When James Turnbull, who
had been Headmaster since
1868, retired in 1891, he was
'lauded' for his dedication to
local education and in build-
ing a school that 'was the best
equipped, as regards to teach-
ing staff, and other equip-
ments of any institution in the
country.' Turnbull chose the
school's red and blue colours,
which were later adopted as
the official colours of the Town
of Clinton. Either Turnbull or
Mr. Samuel Perry, a Classics
Master of 'high ideals' chose
Hinc Lucem' as the school's
Latin motto, which translates
into 'Hence the Light' or
'Towards the Light:
The first annual commence-
ment took place in September
14, 1894. The day began with
an afternoon of sports, fol-
lowed by an 'At -Home' in the
evening with the commence-
ment ceremonies began. Local
businesses provided academic
and sporting prizes, as the
townspeople were invited to
gather for the celebration. The
'New Era' stated the school's
intention was 'to make this an
annual affair and a social event
in the history of the school: It
is a school tradition that has
continued uninterrupted ever
since.
After 50 years of service, the
Clinton Collegiate building
was declared unfit for 'mod-
em' usage and a new building
was constructed in 1926-
27. The 'new' Tudor style
building forms part of the cur-
rent Central Huron Secondary
School. Several of the 'old' col-
legiate graduates won national
and international fame. The
Clinton Collegiate Institute has
produced an Edmonton
Mayor, two provincial Minis-
ters of Education, the Founder
of the Dominion Bureau of
Statistics (Stats Canada), a Sas-
katchewan Premier, Louis
Riel's personal secretary and a
knight of the realm. The lamp
ofleaming still bums bright on
Princess Street nearly 150
years later.
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