Collège Saint-Alexandre

Coordinates: 45°29′35″N 75°45′0″W / 45.49306°N 75.75000°W / 45.49306; -75.75000
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Collège Saint-Alexandre
88 x 118
Collège Saint-Alexandre as viewed from outside
Address
Map
2425, rue Saint-Louis

, ,
Canada
Coordinates45°29′35″N 75°45′0″W / 45.49306°N 75.75000°W / 45.49306; -75.75000
Information
School typeHigh school
Founded1912; 112 years ago (1912)
General ManagerMario Vachon
GradesSecondary 1–5 since 1965
LanguageFrench
Websitewww.st-alex.ca

Collège Saint-Alexandre is a private secondary school (high school) located in Gatineau, in the Outaouais region, in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is located on Rue Saint-Louis in the Limbour neighbourhood of Gatineau. Founded in 1905 by the Communauté des pères du Saint-Esprit, the Collège is an establishment for boys and girls offering a general education program for young people in French, leading to a high school diploma.

Once exclusive for boys, it became an inclusive (boys and girls) institution in 1990. Known for its solid reputation of superior education, ranking in the top 15 of all high schools in Québec, it attracts students from all over the region, particularly from the towns of Ottawa, Hull, Gatineau, Cantley, Chelsea, Aylmer, Buckingham and Masson-Angers. The school's motto is Vitam Impedere Vero, which comes from the Latin poet Juvenal. It means, "To devote one's life to the truth."

The land used for the school was bought by Alonzo Wright, a Canadian politician.[1]

History[edit]

The building in which the school is housed was built in 1850 by Alonzo Wright. It was at first used as a manor for parties. Wright died in 1894. After the death of his wife in 1904, the property was bought by Jesuit priests fleeing secularization in France. They sought to turn the building into a private institution where they would teach classical studies, including philosophy, Greek, and Latin.

In 1912, it would become the Collège Saint-Alexandre, which was founded by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. In 1965, the classical courses were abolished after extensive reforms by the Quebec government during the Quiet Revolution, in which the province acquired a large role in the jurisdiction of education. Priests have gradually stopped teaching, and today the institution is as secular as public schools. In 1988–89, the first female students were admitted to the College; the first group finished the secondary level in 1993.

In 2004, students, who already had a strict clothing policy, started wearing a uniform.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Gatineau Valley Historical Society". www.gvhs.ca. Retrieved 2023-11-17.

Books[edit]

  • Gay, Paul Cahiers Lestage: Breve Histoire du College Saint-Alexandre (Gatineau, Collège Saint-Alexandre) Call Number 365.L.01.7
  • Gobeil, Maurice Cahiers Lestage: Le 'Roi de la Gatineau' et le college Saint-Alexandre (Gatineau, Collège Saint-Alexandre) Call Number 365.L.01.4
  • Larose, Marie-Anne Cahiers Lestage: Les Soeurs des Sacres-Coeurs Au College Saint-Alexandre (Gatineau, Collège Saint-Alexandre) Call Number 365.L.01.12

External links[edit]