Milestone Moments |
Celebrating almost 200 years of Upper Canada College history
Sir John Colborne, lieutenant governor of Upper Canada and founder of Upper Canada College.
Portrait from Government House, Guernsey, U.K.
The 1800s
1829: UCC founded by Sir John Colborne, lieutenant governor of Upper Canada; Rev. Joseph H. Harris appointed UCC principal; classes are located at the Royal Grammar School at Jarvis and Lombard streets
1830: Jan. 4, 57 boys register for their first day at UCC
1831: UCC relocates to Russell Square; the campus opens in September 1831. Russell Square is bounded by King Street West, Adelaide Street West, Simcoe Street and John Street
1839: Rev. John McCaul appointed second UCC principal
1843: Frederick W. Barron appointed third UCC principal
1857: First College Times publishes, now the longest-running student publication in Canada; Alexander Robert Dunn, Class of 1844, is first Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross; Rev. Walter Stennett appointed fourth UCC principal
1861: George R. Cockburn appointed fifth UCC principal
1863: Sir John Colborne dies
1866: Queen’s Own Rifles affiliation begins
1867: James Cockburn, Class of 1833, plays a major role in the confederation of the Dominion of Canada
1881: John Milne Buchan appointed sixth UCC principal
1885: George Dickson appointed seventh UCC principal
1890: First UCC hockey team is formed
1891: July 3, last day at Russell Square campus; Oct. 14, official opening of Deer Park building
1895: George R. Parkin appointed eighth UCC principal
1898: The Gate House, formerly “the Lodge,” was built and is now the oldest building on the Deer Park campus
The Turn of the Century
1901: Hampden Zane Churchill Cockburn, Class of 1881, awarded Victoria Cross for his actions during the Battle of Leliefontein during the Second Boer War
1902: First Preparatory School building opens; Henry W. Auden appointed ninth UCC principal; former UCC principal Sir George Parkin is tasked with much of the organization and implementation of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship Program in Canada
1913: Norval property purchased; first Norval picnic
1914–18: First World War breaks out and approximately 1,100 UCC students, faculty and staff members enlist; 179 fall in service
1917: William Grant appointed 10th principal of UCC
1918: UCC’s first female teacher, Mary Tucker, is hired to teach science
1920: House system begins with the establishment of Martland’s, Jackson’s, Wedd’s and Seaton’s
1922: Lieutenant Governor Henry Cockshutt lays the cornerstone for the second Prep building, the Parkin Building
1923: Parkin Building opens
1932: Separate boarding houses open
1933: First Old Boys’ Association “Hockey Night”
1935: Terence MacDermot appointed 11th principal of UCC
1938: New Upper School gym and swimming pool open
1939: Norval House opens; first Leaving Class gift presented
1942: Lorne McKenzie appointed 12th principal of UCC
1939–45: Just over 1,500 UCC students, faculty, staff and Old Boys sign up to serve in the Second World War; 128 lose their lives. Thirty per cent of Canadian generals were alumni
1948: Rev. Cedric Sowby appointed 13th principal of UCC
The 1950s
1951: Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent lays cornerstone for the Memorial Wing at the Upper School
1954: Prep gym opens
1955: First outdoor artificial rink opens; HRH Prince Philip named the official visitor of the College
1958: March 11, Upper School building condemned; March 12, Upper School evacuated
1959: HRH Prince Philip visits in June for the first time
The 1960s
1960: Guests Vincent Massey and Edward Peacock are present at the opening of the new Upper School; dedication of All Hallows Chapel; opening of Laidlaw Hall
1962: The Sir Edward Peacock Building officially named after renovations
1963: 50th anniversary Norval picnic
1964: Norval Arboretum and Stephen House established; The Honourable Alan A. MacNaughton, Class of 1921, is instrumental in shepherding in a new Canadian flag
1965: Patrick Johnson appointed 14th principal of UCC
1967: Stephen House architect, Blake Millar (UCC 1945–54), awarded the Massey Medal for excellence in architecture
1967: Grade 13 provincial exams dropped
1969: Old Boys’ Association becomes UCC Association and includes parents and Old Boys; active outdoor education program developed under the first Norval director, Bruce Littlejohn
The 1970s
1971: “Program for UCC” established to raise funds for the Macintosh Library, Lecture Theatre and Patrick Johnson Arena; Chancellor of the University of Toronto, the Honourable Pauline McGibbon, appointed as first woman on UCC’s Board of Governors (ex-officio)
1973: Official opening of Macintosh Library
1974: Richard H. Sadleir appointed 15th principal of UCC
1977: Sandi Ryder becomes the first woman to be elected to the Board of Governors; the top floor of the Memorial Wing converted to apartments
1978: UCC Summer Day Camps begin
1979: UCC’s 150th anniversary; HRH Prince Philip visits the College and attends the first Association Day
The 1980s
1980: New science labs installed in Upper School
1981: Boarding ends at the Prep School
1984: First World Affairs Conference held
1988: Eric Barton appointed 16th principal of UCC; Don Kawasoe becomes the first on-site director to expand programs at Norval Outdoor School to allow adventure-based programming
The 1990s
1990: J. Douglas Blakey appointed 17th principal of UCC
1992: Hewitt Athletic Centre opens; Eaton Building opens at Prep; first Grandparents’ Day at the Prep
1993: HRH Prince Philip attends a dedication ceremony for the Eaton Building on Oct. 9
1995: UCC becomes an IB school; the Prep library renovated and reopens as Wilder Library
1998: First IB diplomas granted; Grade 2 introduced; first annual Leaving Class dinner, sponsored by the UCC Association
1999: Primary wing renovations; Grade 1 introduced; Creativity Centre opens; Horizons program created as a partnership with the Toronto District School Board
The 2000s
2001: Wernham West Centre for Learning opens, thanks to a landmark gift from Richard Wernham and Julia West
2002: Prep 100th anniversary
2003: Senior Kindergarten introduced
2004–05: College’s 175th anniversary; Dr. Jim Power appointed 18th principal of UCC
2006: The Oval receives an artificial turf surface; two Victoria Crosses go on long-term loan to the Canadian War Museum
2007: UCC’s gay-straight alliance is established
2009: William P. Wilder ’40 Arena & Sports Complex officially opens; Strength, Agility & Speed Fitness Centre opens at Upper School
The 2010s
2012: Proceeds from the Believe in Blue Gala support the creation of the Upper School science wing, scholarships and boarding
2013: 100th anniversary of Norval Outdoor School
2014: First Lang Scholars graduate; Rao Cup established to promote boarding houses’ rivalry; boarding houses and Upper School’s second floor undergo renovations
2015: Daycare in Gatehouse closed; Upper School main floor undergoes renovations; UCC’s $104-million Think Ahead Campaign concludes
2016: Sam McKinney appointed 19th principal of UCC; Cookie Monster mascot retires
2017: Recognizing the tremendous importance of Canada’s Indigenous culture, and appreciating the history of the land on which it sits, UCC issues an official land acknowledgement and establishes a Truth and Reconciliation Council; a new mascot, Ice the Husky, debuts at Winterfest
2018: Strategic Directions: Towards 2029 is launched; UCC Summer Life, a camps-boarding program for international students, debuts; Atkins Family Design Lab opens in the Upper School; Years 6 through 9 start the IB’s Middle Years Programme (MYP); launch of the Casey Fellows Program for Mental Health and Student Wellbeing
2019: Newly renovated Manucha & Bellamy Studio Theatre opens at the Upper School; the Hixon Family Design Lab is unveiled at the Preparatory School; the Oval’s artificial turf is replaced thanks to a generous donation
2020: Refurbished Parkin Building opens at the Preparatory School; UCC becomes North America’s first all-boys’ IB World School
The 2020s
2020–21: UCC classes go virtual with the COVID pandemic
2021: UCC’s longest-serving official visitor, HRH Prince Philip, passes away
2022: The Upper School East Wing is renovated
2023: Opening of the Lindsay Boathouse in Toronto’s Outer Harbour Marina
2024: Renovation of the varsity locker room and state-of-the-art scoreboard added; Brenda & Reid Chen Innovation Lab at the Prep opens its doors; a range of new sustainability initiatives undertaken
2025: UCC is one of four schools globally to launch the IB DP Systems Transformation Graduation Pathway; establishment of Tanenbaum Inspire Fund and the Tanenbaum-Hutcheson Director of Partnerships and Social Impact; inaugural Coxford Lecture held with 24th Western Chancellor Kelly Meighen
2026: Opening of the Prep’s Math and Science Learning Community; launch of the Lang Leadership Lab Summer Institute for students from across Canada and around the world; Junior Kindergarten starts at UCC