TIMELINE HISTORY OF BREBEUF COLLEGE SCHOOL

 By Michael Da Costa '92

1962
- Construction of Brebeuf High School and the attached Jesuit Residence begins under Bishop Marrocco and Father Clement Crusoe S.J., in Willowdale, a new Toronto suburb surrounded by farms.

1963
-The Jesuits of Upper Canada open Brebeuf High School to Grades 9 and 10, under the patronage of St. Jean de Brebeuf, priest, missionary, and martyr.
- The staff consists of eight Jesuit priests, one Jesuit brother, and six laymen.
- The first Principal is Father Robert Meagher S.J., former Principal of Regiopolis College in Kingston. Mr. O’Neil P. Gazeley is Vice-Principal and the first lay Vice-Principal of any Jesuit school worldwide.
- The uniform is a brown blazer and grey dress pants and a striped tie.
- The “first” First Friday Mass in Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus takes place, beginning an unbroken 44-year tradition.
- The B newspaper begins weekly circulation.
- JUGS (detentions) begin after school and on Saturdays.
- The first President of the Brebeuf Student Council is Neil Enright, who begins a long tradition of student leadership in the school.
- The entire Brebeuf staff and student body make a pilgrimage to Martyrs’ Shrine and Ste.Marie-among-the-Hurons in Midland, where St. Jean de Brebeuf lived and worked.
- The illustrious careers of rookie teachers E.J. (James) Barry, Tom Sullivan, and Lou Puccini begin.

1964
- Archbishop Philip Pocock presides over the Solemn Blessing of the building on January 5th.
- The Brebeuf Ladies’ Guild is founded and quickly becomes a pillar of support for the Brebeuf community.
- Theatre Brebeuf beings its tradition of entertaining audiences and presents Career Angel.

1965
- The Brebeuf Junior Basketball Redmen win the school’s first TDCAA pennant.

1966
- Yvonne Kirby, sister of Michael Daoust ’67, becomes the first female staff member.
- Beginning of the annual Brebeuf- Loyola weekends, where we would send our hockey, basketball and debating teams to Loyola in Montreal, and the next year, they would come to Brebeuf .

1967
- The school’s name is officially changed to Brebeuf College School.
- The first class of Grade 13’s graduates from the school.
- Echon yearbook, using the Huron name for St. Jean de Brebeuf SJ, begins chronicling the life of the school in photos.
- Grades 9 and 10 receive full funding through the Metropolitan Separate School Board. The school is now semi-private and students continue to pay fees of about $300 for Grades 11,12 and 13.

1971
- St. Agnes Catholic School opens on the Brebeuf property.
- Triple Bronze poetry anthology is born.
- Brebeuf begins offering courses in instrumental music.

1972
- Father Clement Crusoe SJ becomes the second Principal.
- Mr. Michael Daoust ’67 becomes the first alumnus to teach at Brebeuf and is followed the next year by Robert Lato ’68.

1975
- Initiation of Grade 13 Monday Night floor hockey.

1976
- Father Kenneth Casey SJ becomes the third Principal
- Regis College (Willowdale) is sold and relocated to downtown Toronto.
- Ailix Will becomes the first permanent woman female on staff.

1977
- Brebeuf Junior Hockey Redmen capture the TDCAA championship under coach E.J. Barry.

1979
- Father J. Winston Rye SJ becomes the fourth Principal.
- The Brebeuf Music Department travels to Rome, where they meet the Pope.

1980
- Nation intramural system begins and school is divided into: Raiders, Rockies, Golden Hawks, Red Knights, Blue Devils, and Marauders.

1982
- The Brebeuf Alumni Association is established by Greg Rogers ’72 and led by Chairman Frank MacGrath ’82, quickly becomes an important ally in helping the school to fulfil its mission of excellence and service.

1983
- The Society of Jesus announces it will withdraw from Brebeuf due to a lack of available manpower.
- Cardinal Carter and the Archdiocese of Toronto announce that the Presentation Brothers in Montreal will take over the direction of Brebeuf in September, 1984. Brother Lawrence Maher FPM moves into the Jesuit Residence to begin preparations for the handover to the Presentation Brothers.
- The last year Brebeuf has a football team, and henceforth rugby becomes the dominant sport.
- The class for disabled students opens.

1984
- Brother Lawrence Maher becomes the fifth Principal. The Presentation Brothers move into the Residence. Father Robert Brennan SJ remains as a Jesuit on staff.
- Can-Aid, Brebeuf’s annual Christmas canned food drive for the homeless, is started by Greg Rogers et al.
- After a century and a half of waiting, Premier Bill Davis announces full funding for Grades 11, 12, and 13 in private Catholic schools. Brebeuf students will no longer have to pay tuition and the enrolment will begin to climb steadily.

1985
- The uniform for Grade 9 is changed to a black blazer; grey pants; red, white and black striped tie; and black dress shoes. The old brown uniform is phased out.
- The overcrowded Cafeteria is expanded when Brother Maher miraculously secures Federal government funding.
- A new Chapel is built to replace “Room 110”, which becomes a computer lab. The Main Office is expanded.

1986
- The Archdiocese of Toronto, which owns the Brebeuf property, attempts to sell the front field for a housing development, but changes its mind after fierce opposition from the Brebeuf community. The school land is then transferred to the MSSB, except for the Brothers’ Residence and property.
- The Ladies Guild procures the Statue of St. Jean de Brebeuf for the school’s front entrance. Previously a statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola was in its place.
- Father Brennan S.J., the last Jesuit to teach at Brebeuf, leaves for Loyola.

1987
- The last graduating class under Brebeuf as a semi-private school.
- A “portapak” – portables joined by a hallway – is erected in the parking lot and most Grade 9 classes are conducted there.
- The school celebrates its 25th Anniversary.
- The Ladies’ Guild disbands and is replaced by a Parent-Teacher Association.
- Brother Jerome Kelly F.P.M., Superior General of the Presentation Brothers, visits Brebeuf and inspires students and staff to start B.R.I.D.G.E. (Bringing Relief in Doing and Giving the Elderly), a programme where students visit and assist neighbourhood seniors.

1988
- The present brick sign on the front field is completed.

1989
- The first of many outdoor Masses behind the gym takes places, allowing the entire student body to be together.
- The Brebeuf badminton teams begin their domination of the sport at TDCAA and OFSAA levels.

1990
- The school schedule changes from nine, 40-minutes periods to four 76-minute periods every other day.
- JUGS cease to be the standard punishment for students.
- Brebeuf becomes the first school in the board to begin an annual Orientation Camp for Grade 9 students at Camp Olympia, led by Greg Rogers.

1991
- Mr. Neil Gazeley retires as Vice-Principal after 28 years of outstanding service and leadership.

1992
- The pathway to Connacher is sold.
- Brebeuf’s population peeks at almost 1250 students.

1993
- Brebeuf begins offering a few courses at the General level.
- Brebeuf begins offering Co-operative Education.

1996
- Brother Lawrence Maher FPM retires, but dies suddenly in December. His funeral at Blessed Trinity draws more than 800 people.
- Mr. Joseph Brisbois becomes our sixth Principal and the first layman to hold the position.

1998
- Brother Henry Spencer FPM retires from teaching, but remains an active volunteer in the school’s Chaplaincy programme.

1999
- Brebeuf begins operating on the Semester system.

2000
- Golf shirts become part of the uniform during the warmer months.
- The Blessed Edmund Rice Society is established, in honour of the Presentation Brothers’ Founder, recognizing students who are on the Honour Roll for all their years in high school.

2001
- The blazer becomes an optional uniform item.
- The MSSB announces the Brebeuf building will be replaced with a $23 million facility.
- Michael Pautler ’76, becomes our seventh Principal and the first alumnus to lead the school community.

2002
- The school holds a Closing Assembly and the Alumni Association holds a final Reunion in the original school.
- Construction of a new Brebeuf building commences and the school is temporarily relocated to the former Bathurst Heights Collegiate.
- A timecapsule from 1963 is found behind the original school’s cornerstone.
- Awards for the highest average in each grade are established and named for the four Jesuit Principals (Meagher, Casey, Crusoe, and Rye).
- Pope John Paul II visits Toronto and many Brebeuf students are involved in World Youth Day.

2003
- The annual Grade 9 Midland trip commences.
- Brebeuf begins offering courses at the Enriched level, leading to preparation for Advanced Placement Examinations.
- The student body votes to change the name of its sports teams from Redmen to the Brebeuf Bulls.
- The “double-cohort” of Grades 12 and 13 (OAC) graduate, the final Grade 13 class at Brebeuf.

2004
- Exactly forty years from the date of the original school’s Solemn Blessing, staff and students return to 211 Steeles Avenue East and begin classes in the new Brebeuf building.
- Father Winston Rye S.J. celebrates the first Mass in the school’s Chapel on the First Friday of February.
- Brebeuf has an Open House of the New Building for Alumni and friends. The Upper Field is dedicated as the Larry Uteck Memorial Field. The Wall of Honour is unveiled to recognize donors who have collectively given over $200,000 to the Reaching New Heights fundraising campaign.
- Mr. Nick D’Avella is appointed our eighth Principal.

2005
- The Solemn Blessing of the New Building is conducted by Bishop Attila Mikloshazy SJ and the Mass is concelebrated by Fathers Rye and Granville SJ.
- The Library is renamed the Jesuit Commemorative Library to honour our school’s founding order and the continuing links with the Jesuits.
- The Chaplaincy Centre is named after the Presentation Brothers and opened by Brother Andrew Hickey FPM, Superior General.
- Brebeuf News Network, a closed-circuit television system, is born thanks to funding from the Alumni.

2006
- The Alumni Athletic Centre opens after a large donation from the Brebeuf Alumni.

2008
- The school reaches its capacity of 1050.
- The Blessed Edmund Rice Volunteer Award programme is inaugurated.
- Mr. Anthony Azzopardi becomes our ninth Principal.
- A Congregated Grade Nine Gifted Programme is started.
- The story of excellence, faith, camaraderie, service, and academics continues unabated.