Oakville Trafalgar High School (OTHS, often referred to as OT) is a

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

located in

Oakville, Ontario Oakville is a town in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton. At its Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census population of 213,759, it is List of tow ...

, Canada. The school receives most of its students from nearby feeder schools, including Maple Grove Public School, École EJ James, St Luke's Catholic Elementary School, St. Vincent's Catholic Elementary School and James W. Hill, as well as many students coming from private schools. The school is also host to a

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

child care centre for children aged 18 months to five years.

History

Oakville Trafalgar High School was the second high school established in Oakville. Before, there was Oakville Grammar School on Navy Street where a branch of the

Oakville Public Library Oakville Public Library is the public library system for the Town of Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Through its 7 branches, its website and its various Book Nook and outreach locations, the Oakville Public Library provides a wide range of services fo ...

now stands. That school was redesigned by architect

Alfred Chapman Alfred Beck Chapman (September 6, 1829 – January 16, 1915) was a Los Angeles real estate attorney and investor. He was one of the founders of the city of Orange, California. Personal Chapman was born on September 6, 1829, in Greensboro, Alab ...

and became the original Oakville Trafalgar High School in 1908 on Reynolds Street. In 1946, the districts of Trafalgar and Oakville merged and the school's name was changed to Oakville Trafalgar High School.During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the school field was converted into a field where students grew crops to send overseas. During this time different sports and clubs formed, with the two most popular being

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

and

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

. Both attracted a large fan turnout. The largest and most popular change was the allowance of dances; dances were banned in the school. 34 students, listed on the school's cenotaph, fought and died during World War II. By 1988, 80 years after it opened, the

Halton District School Board The Halton District School Board serves public school students throughout Halton Region, including the municipalities of Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville. Its administration area is to the southwest of the city of Toronto. In 2006-20 ...

determined the OTHS building on Reynolds Street no longer met the school's needs. The superintendent said the existing building was crumbling, overcrowded, antiquated, and had no room to expand; the chair of the board called it "overcrowded and rundown." Renovation was considered at first, but ultimately the board opted to relocate the school to a "high-tech" $18 million new facility on Devon Road. This decision was controversial in the community because of the cost and the perceived demerits of the site. The debate spread beyond public complaints and into the legal realm: a police investigation was opened to review the board's actions, but no misconduct was found and no charges were laid. Despite the friction over the years-long process to upgrade the school, the new OTHS location on Devon Road opened in September 1992. At the opening ceremony, former Oakville mayor (and former OTHS student) Bill Perras called it "one of the most controversial schools ever built." The new building, designed by local architect Andrew Bruce, features a stylized brick facade in the main atrium that mimics the roofline of the original school on Reynolds Street.

Prosthetic breasts controversy

In September 2022, the school was the subject of an international controversy after a transgender teacher was filmed teaching a class wearing large prosthetic breasts with protruding nipples. The

defended the teacher and said the teacher's employment was rightfully protected by the

Ontario Human Rights Code The Human Rights Code is a statute in the Canadian province of Ontario that guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination in specific social areas such as housing or employment. The code's goal specifically prohibits discrimina ...

, though it stated that it was also reviewing its dress code policy.

People's Party of Canada The People's Party of Canada (french: Parti populaire du Canada, PPC) is a right-wing populist federal political party in Canada. The party was formed by Maxime Bernier in September 2018, shortly after his resignation from the Conservative Pa ...

(PPC) leader

Maxime Bernier Maxime Bernier (born January 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who is the founder and leader of the People's Party of Canada (PPC). Formerly a member of the Conservative Party, Bernier left the caucus in 2018 to form the PPC. He was the member ...

called for the teacher to be fired. Some parents and PPC supporters protested the teacher's clothing. In November 2022, the board's dress code review recommended not adopting a stricter dress code for all employees because it could open the board up to liability for human rights violations. In January 2023, Halton District School Board reversed its position, and announced a dress code for teachers beginning in March 2023. As of early March 2023, the teacher is still employed at the school board.

Relay for Life

In 2019, Oakville Trafalgar High School was Canada's number one youth fundraiser for the

Canadian Cancer Society The Canadian Cancer Society (french: Société canadienne du cancer) is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. History The idea to form the Canadian Cancer Society origin ...

's Relay for Life event, raising over $1 million for charity in the years the fundraiser has taken place.

Notable alumni

Zenon Andrusyshyn Zenon Andrusyshyn (born February 25, 1947) is a German-Canadian former Canadian Football League punter (football position), punter and Placekicker, kicker from –, –, primarily for the Toronto Argonauts. He also was a member of the Kansas City ...

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

and

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

punter and kicker *

Larry Cain Laurence J. "Larry" Cain, (born January 9, 1963) is a Canadian sprint canoeist. He was the first Canadian canoeist since Frank Amyot to win an Olympic gold medal in canoeing. Early life Cain was born in Toronto, Ontario. He attended Oakville ...

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

gold medallist sprint canoer * Jamie Campbell, sportscaster *

Dillon Casey Dillon Francis Casey (born October 29, 1983) is an American-born Canadian actor and producer. He is best known for his role as Sean Pierce in The CW action-thriller television series ''Nikita''. Early life Casey was born in Dallas, Texas and ra ...

, actor *

Steve Christie Geoffrey Stephen Christie (born November 13, 1967) is a former Canadian American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL), who, as a member of the Buffalo Bills, became known for his ability to kick clutch field goals, even in p ...

, NFL and CFL

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

Sam Gagner Sam William Gagner (born August 10, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who plays in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Winnipeg Jets. He was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, 6th overall, of the 2007 NHL En ...

, NHL hockey centre *

Meredith Anne Gardner Meredith Anne Gardner (born June 29, 1961) is a Canadian retired freestyle skier who competed in ski ballet, mogul skiing, and aerial skiing. Gardner competed as a member of the Canadian Women's Freestyle Team from 1981 to 1988, winning the 1985 ...

freestyle skier Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, moguls, cross, half-pipe, slopestyle and big air as part of the Winter Olympics. It can consist of a skier performing aerial flips and spins and can include skiers sliding rails and ...

* Cody Goulebef, NHL hockey defenseman and Olympic bronze medallist *

Hagood Hardy Hugh Hagood Hardy, (February 26, 1937 – January 1, 1997) was a Canadian composer, pianist, and vibraphonist. He played mainly jazz and easy listening music. He is best known for the 1975 single, "The Homecoming" from his album of the same na ...

, Composer and musician, Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

Doug Henning Douglas James Henning (May 3, 1947 – February 7, 2000) was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician. Early life Henning was born in the Fort Garry district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and began practising magic at Oakenw ...

, magician *

James Hinchcliffe James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. Hinchcliffe won six races for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. In 2015, ...

race car driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

Kara Hultgreen Kara S. Hultgreen (October 5, 1965 – October 25, 1994) was an American naval aviator who served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy and was the first female carrier-based fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy. She was also the first female figh ...

, one of the first female combat pilots in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Maria Jelinek Maria Jelinek (birth name Maria Jelínková; born November 16, 1942) is a Canadian former pair skater. With her brother Otto, she is the 1962 World champion, the 1961 North American champion, and 1961–1962 Canadian national champion. They re ...

, Canadian, North American, and World Champion

pair skater Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...

with brother Otto Jelinek *

Otto Jelinek Otto John Jelinek (Czech: Otakar Jelínek; born May 20, 1940) is a businessman, former figure skater, and Canadian politician. Jelinek's family fled to Switzerland, then to Canada from Czechoslovakia in 1948, following the Communist coup d'é ...

, Canadian, North American, and World Champion pair skater with sister Maria Jelinek. Federal politician, Canadian Ambassador to the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Sandra Post Sandra Post, (born June 4, 1948) is a retired professional golfer, the first Canadian to play on the LPGA Tour. In 1968 at age 20 in her rookie professional year, she won a women's major – the LPGA Championship, and was the youngest playe ...

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

John Ralston Saul John Ralston Saul (born June 19, 1947) is a Canadian writer, political philosopher, and public intellectual. Saul is most widely known for his writings on the nature of individualism, citizenship and the public good; the failures of manager-l ...

, author and former

viceregal consort of Canada The viceregal consort of Canada is the spouse of the serving governor general of Canada, assisting the viceroy with ceremonial and charitable work, accompanying him or her to official state occasions, and occasionally undertaking philanthropic work ...

(spouse of

Adrienne Clarkson Adrienne Louise Clarkson (; ; born February 10, 1939) is a British Hong Kong, Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served from 1999 to 2005 as Governor General of Canada, the List of Governors General of Canada#Governors General of Canada, 1 ...

)

References

External links