Questions about a Harbord CI student’s musical path drew us into 1930s Toronto—an era of popular radio, big bands, and dance halls. The Depression dragged along (1928-1939); pre-war Europe simmered, but people flocked to venues like the Palais Royale to hear “Canada’s King of Swing,” Bert Niosi, and his house-band […]
Secondary schools
10 posts
In June1974—for the first time in its history—the Toronto Board of Education allowed liquor to be served at one of its schools. The occasion was a bang-up homecoming weekend for Harbord students flocking back to celebrate their beloved collegiate. A stellar barbershop quartet of Louis Weingarten and Frank Shuster (Wayne […]
Our 2018 fall collection consists of four memorials from three Lakeshore communities of Etobicoke. The southwest boundary of Etobicoke sits along the north shore of Lake Ontario. A few miles east of “the Lakeshore,” concrete roadways and condo canyons hide the lake, except for occasional glimpses. Mimico, New Toronto, and […]
I think it caught people’s attention, and maybe made them think about Remembrance Day just a little bit longer. Claire Franceschetti commenting on her Remembrance Day project They had lived down the street, around the corner, or maybe right next door. They were young Humbersiders who went off to two […]
For some years, this “Greetings from Humberside” poster hung over the fireplace of a steak house in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Attractive, colourful, and no doubt at times a conversation piece, it was a long way from home. Humberside Collegiate Institute is about 1,500 kilometres (950 miles) from Sydney. What was […]
For King and Country began as a simple project to make available the names of all Toronto students who had served in any war. Our first school “histories” were sketchy outlines only: opening date; name changes; anniversaries or reunions; sometimes a closing date. A pleasant surprise once the project got […]
How did schools collect the names for their war memorials? Danforth Tech, with 2,235 volunteers— more than any other school in the Commonwealth—shows us. A War Memorial Committee sent forms like John D. Marr’s (pictured here) asking former students how their names should appear. This form, not dated, was probably […]
In the airport-style waiting room of Toronto West (York) Court House—Traffic Division, the security guard searching bags answers my question about the overhead sign “FAW.” “I think the ‘F’ stands for first offence,” he says. My first offence? Failing to produce my motor vehicle permit when stopped by police. A […]
“Degrassi” evokes realistic high school drama for fans of the long running Degrassi TV series. There are no schools on Toronto’s Degrassi Street in Riverdale, though nearby Earl Grey school is one of several used as a setting for early episodes. While teaching at Earl Grey, Linda Schuyler, aware that […]
More than 3,000 women volunteered for the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC) in the First World War. All had trained as nurses before the war; average age was 24. Nicknamed “blue birds,” because of their blue uniforms and white veils, they assisted with surgery and cared for convalescing soldiers. Though […]