Trafalgar Castle School in

Whitby, Ontario Whitby is a town in Durham Region. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region. It had a population of 138,501 at the 2021 census. It ...

is an internationally known, independent day and boarding school for girls and young women in grades 4 through 12. Boarding at the school begins in grade 7. Founded in 1874 as "Ontario Ladies' College", Trafalgar Castle School is one of the oldest independent schools in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the second-oldest girls' school in

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 C ...

History

The castle was built by Nelson Gilbert Reynolds, Sheriff of Ontario County, as a private residence in 1859. Reynolds was named after

Lord Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought a ...

and named his castle Trafalgar in honour of the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

. The castle was the largest private dwelling in Canada until

Casa Loma Casa Loma (improper Spanish for "Hill House") is a Gothic Revival castle-style mansion and garden in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is now a historic house museum and landmark. It was constructed from 1911 to 1914 as a residence for fina ...

was built. It cost Reynolds $70,000, which was an exorbitant sum; a home at that time was built for $2,000, and a bank complete with vault could be built for $5,000 to $7,000. Reynolds was a colourful character and a gambling man, and indeed it was gambling losses that reportedly forced him to sell his beloved home to the Methodists in 1874 for the sum of $30,000. The Methodists of that day were very interested in establishing higher learning institutions for young women. Rev. J. E. Sanderson convinced the Town of Whitby that this would be beneficial to its economy. James Holden, Esq. founder of the

Dominion Bank The Dominion Bank was a Canadian bank that was chartered in 1869 and based in Toronto, Ontario. On February 1, 1955, it merged with the Bank of Toronto to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank, which is known as the present-day TD Bank Group. History ...

, a local politician and businessman (with 5 daughters of his own) supported this idea. Sanderson and Holden were instrumental in raising the money and shares for the purchase of the castle and the establishment of Ontario Ladies' College. Trafalgar Castle hosted its share of royalty and dignitaries through the years; both as Reynolds' residence, then as Ontario Ladies' College and now as Trafalgar Castle School. Exterior shots of the building were used as "Collinwood" in the 2012 film ''

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinspo ...

''. The building has also appeared in other films such as '' The Vow'', starring

Channing Tatum Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor. Tatum made his film debut in the drama ''Coach Carter'' (2005), and had his breakthrough role in the 2006 dance film '' Step Up''. He gained wider attention for his leading rol ...

, ''Detroit Rock City'', Strike!, ''The Skulls'', and ''I Shall Never Forget''.

Student life

The school has approximately 240 day and boarding students; all girls from grade 4 to grade 12. Boarding students hail from many countries, including but not limited to Mexico, Korea, China, England, Spain, Nigeria, The Bahamas, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Tajikistan, Jamaica, and Japan. While many boarders are international students, there are also domestic boarders from across Canada. The boarding program starts in grade 7. While the school was historically

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

, students today are from all faiths and the school is considered non-denominational. The current and 11th Head of School is Dr. Leanne Foster. She holds a BA from the University of Toronto, a B.Ed. and M.Ed. from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE/UT), and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Toronto. Dr. Foster assumed the role as Head of School in August 2015.

Athletics

Trafalgar has teams of various age levels in the following sports: * Basketball - U20 - undefeated season 2010 and 2013 * Running Club * Field hockey - U20 - CISAA champions 2019 * Ice hockey * Soccer * Rowing * Swimming * Track and Field * Tennis * Dance Pac * Volleyball -U16-CISAA champions 2013 undefeated

Clubs

Trafalgar offers many after school clubs such as: *

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...

Team 1547 *

FIRST LEGO League The ''FIRST'' LEGO League Challenge (formerly known as ''FIRST'' LEGO League) is an international competition organized by '' FIRST'' for elementary and middle school students (ages 9–14 in the United States and Canada, 9–16 elsewhere). Each ...

team * S.M.A.T. (Science Math And Technology) * Art With Heart * Peer Mediation * Reading Team * The Castle Singers Choir * Band * Debating Society * ACT Club (Active Citizenship Team) * Eco Club * Instrument Ensembles * Archery Club * Swimming Club There are also two main leadership groups in the school, the Prefects (a group of 6-10 grade 12 students hand-selected through a rigorous application process) and the Trafalgar Athletics and Spirit Council, or TASC (a group of ten grade 11 students who function as the House Leaders).

Notable faculty

* Reginald Bedford, pianist

References

External links

{{Commons
Trafalgar Castle SchoolTrafalgar’s Robotics website – Team 1547Alumnae DirectoryWedding RentalsHistoric Photos of Trafalgar Castle
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Whitby Public Library and Archives Digital Photo Collection
Girls' schools in Canada High schools in the Regional Municipality of Durham Boarding schools in Ontario Educational institutions established in 1874 Methodist schools Private schools in Ontario Preparatory schools in Ontario Education in Whitby, Ontario Christian schools in Canada 1874 establishments in Ontario Girls boarding schools