Eden High School, also known simply as Eden, is a public secondary school in

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. It is located on the corner of Lake St. and Linwell Rd. Eden is a part of the

District School Board of Niagara The District School Board of Niagara (DSBN, known as English-language Public District School Board No. 22 prior to 1999) is a school board in the public school system of Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Niagara. Its head office ...

(DSBN). The school was founded in 1945 as Eden Christian College.

History

Eden High School was originally located in the neighbouring town of

Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York (state), New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the R ...

, but moved to

when the school population began to grow. When the school moved to St. Catharines it shared buildings with Lakeport Secondary School until 2011. The roots of Eden High School reach back to the founding of the Virgil-Vineland Bible School Society in 1938, by early

Mennonite Brethren The Mennonite Brethren Church is an evangelical Mennonite Anabaptist movement with Wiktionary:congregation, congregations. History The conference was established among Plautdietsch language, Plautdietsch-speaking Russian Mennonites in 1860. Durin ...

settlers in the

Niagara Peninsula The Niagara Peninsula is an area of land lying between the southwestern shore of Lake Ontario and the northeastern shore of Lake Erie, in Ontario, Canada. Technically an isthmus rather than a peninsula, it stretches from the Niagara River in the ...

. The founder of the school was Rev. Isaac Ewert, who began running evening classes under the auspices of the society in late 1938.gameo.org
Redekopp, Alf. "Virgil Bible School (Virgil, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1999. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 27 January 200

The school was officially founded in 1945 by an act of the Bible Society of Virgil as a private day and boarding school, Eden Christian College.
Friesen, C. Alfred. "Eden High School (Virgil, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2002. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 27 January 200

It was discussed at the Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethens throughout the 1970s and 1980s as running the school took more than two-thirds of its operating budget. The student population was split between those who adhered to Mennonite Brethen and United Mennonite teachings. In 1988, Eden was included as an alternative trial school under the Lincoln County Board of Education, which caused student enrollment to grow as tuition fees were eliminated. In 1998, the Lincoln County Board of Education became part of the District School Board of Niagara, a current public school district.

Programs

Eden High School has a Specialized School to Community Program (formerly known as Special Needs) with individualized instruction for approximately 40 students. Upon completion of the program, students earn a Certificate of Accomplishment. Eden also offers Specialist High Skills Major programs in Business, Construction, Sport, and Transportation. It also has a Spiritual Life Centre, which is a student program that offers spiritual mentorship.

Athletics

The Eden Flyers compete in the Niagara Region High School Athletics Association (NRHSAA) region, one of four zones in the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA). As of 2023, a synthetic grass field was planned for the school.

Volleyball

The boys' team has won the OFSAA volleyball championship 12 times, including an eight-year win streak from 2006 to 2013 and titles in 2015, 2018 and 2019 in AA, and 2021 in AAA. The girls' volleyball team won the OFSAA title in 2015.

Basketball

Eden's boys' basketball team has competed in five OFSAA championships tournaments. The 2023-24 Flyers won the school's first-ever Welland Tribune Tournament championship with a 70-55 win over the A.N. Myer Marauders. They went on to end the season with a strong performance at OFSAA, finishing in fourth place, their best in the provincial championships.

Spiritual Life Centre

Although officially a public school, Eden's one-of-a-kind Spiritual Life Centre (SLC) provides students with an optional morning chapel and daily services to connect students with their faith.

Alumni

* Melanie Kok – Olympic rower *

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart ( ; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian and American musician, known as the drummer, percussionist, and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush (band), Rush. He was known to fans by the nickname "the Profe ...

– drummer for the band Rush.

References

{{St. Catharines High schools in the Regional Municipality of Niagara Educational institutions established in 1945 Buildings and structures in St. Catharines Education in St. Catharines 1945 establishments in Ontario