De La Salle College (Toronto) - History - Later History - "Oaklands"

"Oaklands"

"Oaklands" was once part of the Crown Lands deeded to Honourable John Elmsley in 1798. In 1858, Senator John Macdonald — a successful dry goods merchant who would become the only Liberal appointee to the Senate by Canada's founding Prime Minister — acquired 35 acres (140,000 m2) of it from the Anglican Church and built what is at present the residence of the Brothers. This land ran up the east side of College Avenue (now Avenue Road) from what is today Cottingham Street to almost St. Clair Avenue. He named the property "Oaklands" due to the splendid abundance of oak trees on the area.

Construction on Senator MacDonald's mansion on the property on the crest of the hill, began in 1860, and was completed with a tower observatory that would provide him with a clear view of Lake Ontario some 5 kilometres to the south. Currently, the Oaklands mansion has been designated as a historical building by the City of Toronto as an example of local Gothic architecture. The property was purchased in 1905 by the family of Cyrus McCormick (whose farm implement business evolved to become International Harvester).

The Brothers of the Christian Schools bought 12 acres (49,000 m2) of the property in 1931 and turned it into a boys' school. Brother Alfred was the guiding genius in acquiring the property and became the school's first Director/Principal. In its first year, the school was home to 270 students and had matriculation classes ranging from Grade 5 through to Grade 10. Ten years later, grades 1 through 4 were added. In 1970 the 1st 5 grades were phased out leaving only Grades 6, 7 and 8 in addition to the full high school curriculum.

The school's primary focus is its emphasis on academia above all other matters. Traditionally, all graduates advance to universities in Canada and the United States; it is very rare occurrence for a student to matriculate and not proceed to university.

Oaklands had also fostered a reputation for its musicals and drama efforts which, for the most part, commenced in 1951 and carry on to present day. As well, its student-run newspaper, Oakleaves, has been providing ample commentary of the school's goings on since 1931.

In 1950, after a great deal of effort and sacrifice on the part of the Brothers and the alumni of the school, the present main building structure was officially opened. De La Salle had always been a completely private school, but in 1967 a very significant change took place when grades nine and ten were placed under the auspices of the Metropolitan Separate School Board ("MSSB"). By 1987, the maintenance, curriculum, funding and control of the entire high school was under the MSSB, now known as the Toronto District Catholic School Board.

Prior to the 1970s, De La Salle "Oaklands" demonstrated an order and disciplined environment where direction and goals were clear and commitment by students, teachers and parents to that culture was strong. In the 1970s and 1980s, society underwent change and the school mirrored the milieu in which it existed. Spontaneity, flexibility and creativity replaced the status quo. The traditional students' blazer was abandoned, returning in 1974.

Full funding of Catholic high schools in Toronto in 1987 was intended to preserve the individual identity brought to each school by its founding religious order. In a joint letter, the Catholic Private Secondary School Principals of Toronto urged the continuation of each school's heritage:

Individual religious communities have put their stamp on the schools that they have run. Such individual charisms are a unique and priceless legacy to our Catholic schools ... that should be preserved.

In 1989, a flood caused by student vandalism caused over $4,000,000.00 of damage to the main building. After the complete repair and renovation of the structure, the Ontario provincial government proposed a "de-streaming" of classes as of September 1993. In essence, that meant that students would no longer be divided into advanced, general and basic levels (note: despite the participation of the MSSB at Oaklands since 1967, the school had only offered 'advanced' level classes). In response, the school requested the MSSB that De La Salle carry on as an 'advanced-classes-only' academy. This request was rejected by the school board.

In a letter dated June 28, 1993, the school notified the MSSB that as of June 30, 1994, Oaklands would re-privatize. After much ongoing thought and discussion, the Brothers of the Christian Schools determined that returning the school to its former independent status would best meet the spiritual and educational needs of the Catholic community they are called to serve. In September 1994, De La Salle College Oaklands again reopened its doors as an independent, now co-educational, university preparatory school.

In order to serve the needs of its existing students at the time of re-privatization, the Brothers of the Christian Schools funded financial assistance, from full to partial scholarships, to any existing advanced-level student who wished to stay enrolled at the school. In all, 58 students accepted the Brothers' offer. Today, the school provides numerous bursaries and scholarships to ensure that lesser-advantaged students would have reasonable access to the school as was the Brothers' practice in the pre-MSSB era. As well, Oaklands strives to maintain its tuition levels to be lowest for independent secondary schools in the Greater Toronto Area — approximately $12,000.00 p.a. in keeping with their Founder's ideals of accessibility to all students.