Kingsway College

History

The school was established in 1903 in Lorne Park (a community to the west of Toronto, now part of Mississauga) by Eugene Leland and his wife, and was then known as Lornedale Academy, and had eight students from Grades 1-9. By 1907, the enrollment had grown to 40 students.

In 1911, Lornedale had become a high school, serving grades 7-12, which led to a need for more space and equipment. The school began looking for a new site, and the present site in Oshawa (east of Toronto) was acquired. The school was renamed Buena Vista Academy, and opened in 1912. The school quickly grew.

In 1914, it became a Union Conference school. In 1916, it became a junior college with fourteen grades, and its name was changed to Eastern Canadian Missionary Seminary.

In 1920, the school was incorporated, leading to another name change, this time to Oshawa Missionary College. During the Depression years, enrollment decreased and some programs were discontinued, following which an improvement program was implemented in 1933. Enrollment decreased again during World War II, but following the war, the college enjoyed a period of expansion.

In 1963, the school name was changed once more, to Kingsway College, reflecting a curriculum that included a complete academic program while decreasing the implication that the school was only a Bible college. In 1975, the Branson school of nursing was closed due to a change in nursing education policy by the Ontario government. This led to the decision to close the remainder of the college program and merge it with Canadian Union College in Alberta, leaving Kingsway strictly a high school.

Since then Kingsway College has followed the ups and downs that have come with the Ontario education system, including the phasing out of OAC in 2002.

School organizations

The Student Association is headed by a Prime Minister, and is responsible for organizing many of the school functions, such as the fall banquet, children's Christmas party, and Golden Unicorn. It is divided into the executive body and the senate, which is headed by the Deputy Prime Minister.

The school yearbook is entitled Cedar Trails. It is released each June at the Yearbook Signing night, and has been released every year since 1946. The Cedar Trails staff is also responsible for publishing the student and faculty directory, entitled the Whozit.

In Kingsway's history, there have been four student newspapers, beginning with The Studonian in 1920. The current edition, The Cedar Sentinel was founded in 1962, upon the changing of the school's name to Kingsway College.

The Vox Viri Association ("Voice of the Men") was founded in 1933 as the Men's dorm club. Among its current traditions are to go to a Chinese buffet at the beginning of the year, followed by a trip to Pearson International Airport to watch planes and fancy cars.

Nil Sine Numine ("Nothing without God's Will") is the Girls' dorm club, and it was founded in 1936. The club motto is "Deeds not words."

The Outdoor Club has been in existence since the early 1980s, and twice a year goes on backpacking, canoeing, and winter camping trips.

Touring groups

Kingsway maintains three major touring groups. These groups generally perform at local churches across Southern Ontario an average of once a month, usually for the church service. They also rotate long tours, with one group going east to Atlantic Canada, one group going west to the Great Lakes region, and one group going to any desired location each year, over either March break or the Easter long weekend.

The oldest group is the Kingsway Symphonic Choir, whose founding date is unknown. The "Kingsway Chorale" - the touring portion of the choir for some seasons - and the "Kingsway Choir" were built under the direction of Ralph Coupland in the early 1960s. The choir has produced many records and CDs, and has won several Kiwanis Music Festivals. The choir has also performed at Carnegie Hall during the early 1980s. The choir is currently under the direction of Sharon Foreman.

Though there have been many bands throughout the school's history, the current edition of the Kingsway Band was founded in the early 1960s under the direction of the late Jack McClarty. The band has also recorded many CDs and won several Kiwanis Music Festivals throughout its history. At present, the band is directed by Juan Tyson.

The Kingsway College Aerials are a gymnastics team whose mission is to promote healthy drug-free lifestyles in teens today. Founded in 1983 by Pierre Chartier, the club continues today with an annual membership between 25 and 40. The current head coach is Jason Wilkins.

The Kingsway Drama Club was founded in 1998 by current director Margaret Russnell. The club annually puts together a Christmas program and a spring play, which in the past has included Joseph (2003), Don't Kick the Turkeys (2004), and Sound of Music (2010). The club briefly held equal status as a touring group in the early 2000s before reverting to a normal club.

Athletics

Besides the Aerials, the centrepiece of the Kingsway athletics department, Kingsway also has a men and women's basketball team, called the Knights and Lady Knights respectively. Currently only the men's team is in operations.

Kingsway also has a strong intramurals program, in which the faculty regularly play with the students. The major sporting events are the Student/Faculty Football game, and the Alumni/Student Hockey game.

Campus industries

The campus' first major industry was farming. At first, it was a poultry farm. As enrollment increased, so did the farms. Over the years the farm has included a dairy and a strawberry field, as well as a number of greenhouses. Currently, crops grown on campus are on a corn/soybean rotation, similar to the majority of farms in Southern Ontario.

In 1911, the first printing press began operation. By 1920, it became the Canadian Watchman Press, housed in its own building. It employed many students throughout the last century, enabling them to afford a college education, until 1990 when it privatized and became Maracle Press.

In 1921, College Woodwork was founded in the basement of the Ad Building. In 1962, it moved into its present facility, where it continues to employ a significant number of students—being the largest, and highest paying, on-campus student employer—as well as full-timers, producing desks, beds, and other wood furniture.

Other historical industries have included a printing press known as College Press, a book bindery, a health food store, a sewing industry, a laundry, and a bakeshoppe.

Buildings

The Kingsway College campus includes the following buildings in a single campus:

Notable alumnus