Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute

About Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute

”The Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute is a public high school located in the city of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The school is the oldest continuously operating public high school in Guelph, and the third oldest in the province of Ontario, Canada.HistoryThe high school which eventually became known as the Guelph Collegiate and Vocational Institute was founded in the early-mid-19th century by John Galt, also the founder of Guelph, Ontario . The school was originally housed in a large four window log building known as "the Priory"; itself one of the first buildings constructed in Guelph. In 1854 the school moved to its current site on Paisley Road due to the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway.The original building on the new site was torn down after a few decades and a new school constructed. Eventually a wooden gymnasium was added in 1886, and the school remained the same until 1906, when a large new wing was added to the left of the bell tower.Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute had Canada's first high school lunch cafeteria.By this time the school was developing a reputation second to none in the province. Finally, by the nineteen twenties there were serious problems with overcrowding. In 1923 a new building opened that included modern plumbing, a massive skylight covering the large, two story, open auditorium area. It was called the most modern and upscale school building in Ontario.The older buildings were connected to the school and used periodically before they were torn down in 1962 to facilitate several more additions including a modern gym, business and science wing, and tech wings. Read more

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