Principal Jamila Maliha Enrollment 1203 (2015) Area Durham Mascot Red Hawks | Grades 9-12 Language English Phone +1 905-728-7531 | |
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Address 301 Simcoe St N, Oshawa, ON L1G 2B9, Canada Similar RS McLaughl CVI, Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic, Courtice Secondary School, Sinclair Secondary School, All Saints Catholic Secondar | ||
O'Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute is located in Oshawa, Ontario within the Durham District School Board. The school has students in grades 9-12 and offers a wide range of academic and extracurricular activities. The school is well known as an art school, drawing many students from around The Greater Toronto Area into one of the arts programs offered at O'neill CVI. The science programs are also very well developed, with multiple fully functional science labs.
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Motto
The official motto of the school is "Let Talent Flourish", which is featured in many of the schools murals and artistic expressions, most notably being the mural in the art hallway that is based off Vincent van Gogh's 'The Starry Night', featuring the motto, hidden in the position of the stars. The motto is also featured in the 'boys foyer', above the door that enters into the main art/technology hallway.
History
O'Neill CVI is the oldest secondary school in Oshawa, opened in its present location in 1909 as Oshawa High School. High school classes had been held in the Central Public School downtown for many year prior to this, so the school's roots go back well into the 19th century. The original building is still in the core of the school, but is not visible from outside.
After several major expansions during the 1920s, OHS became Oshawa Collegiate and Vocational Institute in 1930. In the Post-war era, when Oshawa began building other high schools, OCVI was renamed O'Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute after long-time principal, Albert O'Neill, who had led its expansion and transition to collegiate status. O'Neill celebrated its 75th anniversary (as OCVI, though it's actually much older when the OHS days are included) in 2005 with a large mural in the library and a huge reunion of students and teachers.
Academics
O'Neill is home to both a Performing Arts program (PA) and a Visual Arts program (VA), as well as a Gifted program for identified Gifted and Enriched students. PA and VA programs draw students from across Durham Region, and O'Neill was mentioned in the Toronto Star as a prestigious arts school in Southern Ontario. The Gifted program, however, only draws students from across Oshawa, as the other cities in Durham Region have their own Gifted schools. O'Neill also offers Advanced Placement courses for students in grades 11 and 12.
Due to O'Neill's large amounts of Gifted and Enriched students, O'Neill far surpassed the Durham District School Board's average on the EQAO testing to be one of the top schools in the region. On the 2016 EQAO Assessment of Mathematics, O'Neill failed to meet the DDSB average.
Library
The O'Neill CVI library is on the second floor of the school, on the north side. In the library there is a lounge area with couches and chairs, desktop computers for school-use, senior study room, (closed off room for senior students to study in, though during off-hours, other students may utilize the space) many desks for groups of students to work, and an organized library of books for students to use. The library also offers printing of documents for school projects for a small fee. (Currently, the fee is 10ยข) The library also features a commemorative mural, created to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the school. The mural features the inukshuk sculpture that was originally outside the school in the back garden. This sculpture was dismantled by unknown perpetrators after school hours and was never rebuilt.
Arts Programs
O'Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute is known for its arts programs. The visual arts program is used to promote interest visual-art based careers by introducing students to many forms of artistic media and giving students the ability to experiment and explore with various artistic ventures overseen by the school's visual art department. The performing arts program is similar to the visual arts program, but involves the study of performance-based art, (dance, drama, music, etc.) which is taught though the use of many public performances for both the community and the school, orchestrated by the school's performing art department.
Specialized Visual Arts Program
There are some art classes that require students obtain an invitation from an art department teacher before they are able to enroll. These normally involve specialized art styles or techniques, such as cartooning or photography.
Open Studio
The visual arts department allows willing students to stay after school hours (till 9pm) to work on art projects with the school's full roster of art supplies, or participate in various 'workshops', which can involve teaching by local experts on such subjects as fresco painting or wire sculpting.
Murals
There are many murals throughout the school, which are mostly created by students but can also be created by members of the art department. Some of the murals featured are the war memorial mural in the memorial foyer, the 'dancers' murals on the first floor, or the rainforest mural in the law hallway.
Extracurricular Activities
O'Neill offers many extracurricular activities, such as several choirs and bands; the School Reach team; sports teams in football, soccer, rugby, cross country, curling, basketball, volleyball, golf, STAR (Students Together Against Racism), the Spirit Committee, Environmental Club, Ping Pong Club, the Breakfast Club, the Robotics Club, the Leadership Club, the Computer Science Club, GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) and numerous others.