Collège Saint-Alexandre is a private secondary school (high school) located in

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's Na ...

, in the

Outaouais Outaouais (, ; also commonly called The Outaouais) is a region of western Quebec, Canada. It includes the city of Gatineau, the municipality of Val-des-Monts and the Papineau region. Geographically, it is located on the north side of the Ottaw ...

region, in the province of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, Canada. It is located on Rue Saint-Louis in the Gatineau sector in the Limbour neighbourhood. 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 Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

, Cantley,

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Aylmer Aylmer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Edward Aylmer, Welsh MP * Edward Aylmer (cricketer), first-class cricketer and Royal Navy officer * Felix Aylmer, English stage actor * Sir Fenton Aylmer, 13th Baronet, British Arm ...

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of ...

and

Masson-Angers Masson-Angers is a former municipality and now a sector within the city of Gatineau. It is located on the north shore of the Ottawa River, in Quebec, Canada, approximately northeast of downtown Ottawa, Ontario. According to the Canada 2011 Censu ...

History

The building in which the school is housed was built in 1850 by

Alonzo Wright Alonzo Wright (April 28, 1821 – January 7, 1894) was a Canadian member of Parliament and businessman commonly known as "King of the Gatineau". He was born in Hull, Quebec in 1821. He was a grandson of Philemon Wright, and son of Tiberius W ...

. 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 , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priests fleeing

secularization In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. They sought to turn the building into a private institution where they would teach classical studies, including

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

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, and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

. In 1912, it would become the Collège Saint-Alexandre, which was founded by the

Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Ghost Fathers seal.png , size = 175px , caption = The seal of the Congregation depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Trinity. , abbreviation ...

. In 1967, the classical courses were abolished after extensive reforms by the

Quebec government Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen ...

during the

Quiet Revolution The Quiet Revolution (french: Révolution tranquille) was a period of intense socio-political and socio-cultural change in French Canada which started in Quebec after the election of 1960, characterized by the effective secularization of govern ...

, 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.

Motto

The school's motto is ''Vitam Impedere Vero'', which comes from the Latin poet

Juvenal Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the '' Satires''. The details of Juvenal's life ...

. It means, "To devote one's life to the truth."

References

Books

*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

* {{DEFAULTSORT:College Saint-Alexandre High schools in Gatineau Private schools in Quebec Heritage sites in Quebec (Cultural Heritage Act) Heritage sites in Outaouais Educational institutions established in 1912 1912 establishments in Quebec