Fort William Collegiate Institute (FWCI) was a
collegiate institute A collegiate institute is an institution that provides either secondary or post-secondary education, dependent on where the term is used. In Canada, the term is used to describe an institutions that provide secondary education, while the word is us ...
operated by the
Lakehead District School Board
The Lakehead District School Board (known as English-language Public District School Board No. 6A prior to 1999) oversees all secular English-language public schools in the Thunder Bay CMA and the townships of Gorham and Ware in Ontario, Canada ...
in
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
from 1907 to 2005.
[https://www.thunderbay.ca/en/city-hall/resources/Documents/HistoryHeritageandRecords/Fort-William-Collegiate-Institute.pdf ] The school's teams were called the "FWCI Blue Bears". The building was granted Historical Heritage Site status in 1983, and was designated a historic building on May 15, 1983.
History
During its many years of operation, the Fort William Collegiate Institute went through various additions and renovations. The original building, which was eight or ten classrooms, underwent massive reconstruction in 1918. A second addition was constructed in 1925, and a third in 1970.
In 1986, the Secondary School Board recommended that the Fort William Collegiate Institute be closed after the school year finished. The school would not end up closing as dominant groups in Thunder Bay were sending their children to the collegiate and their pressure, along with the mystique of the school, made its closure all but impossible. In 2005, due to high school enrollment decreasing throughout Thunder Bay, the Lakehead District School Board advised the school be closed. It was decided that two high schools in the South Ward,
Westgate Collegiate & Vocational Institute
Westgate Collegiate & Vocational Institute is a Canadian high school in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It is one of three secondary schools in the Lakehead Public Schools system, after the closure of Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate & Vocational Institute ...
and
Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate & Vocational Institute
Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate & Vocational Institute was a high school in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It was part of the Lakehead District School Board system. The school was opened in 1966 and had between 1,100 and 1,500 students enrolled. While stu ...
, instead of three would be sufficient to handle the students. It was recommended that Fort William Collegiate Institute close due to the costly repairs and renovations it would require to function, and has been closed since the 2004–2005 school year.
This school was considered in the community to be the school to attend if one had university aspirations, with phenomenal teaching staff. It was the only high school in the area without shop or technical level classes. In a city where the majority identified as blue collar, this school distinguished itself as being the school to teach the future leaders of the community.
See also
*
Education in Thunder Bay, Ontario
Thunder Bay has 38 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 5 secondary schools, 2 private schools, a university, two colleges, a medical school, and an adult education facility. The school boards offer education programmes for people with special ...
References
External links
{{Thunder Bay High Schools
High schools in Thunder Bay