St. John's-Ravenscourt School (commonly referred to as SJR) is an independent, co-educational, university-preparatory school founded in 1820. Located in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, the school delivers an enriched curriculum from Kindergarten through Grade 12. The school offers a boarding option starting in grade 9.

History

The organization that became St. John's College School was founded in 1820 by Rev. John West as the Red River Mission School for the children of early Selkirk settlers and select aboriginal children.Manitoba Historical Society. "St. John's Ravenscourt School". http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/organization/sjr.shtml The school was originally built in Selkirk on the banks of the Red River, and then relocated by Rev. David Thomas Jones to Winnipeg, on the west bank of the river near present-day St. John's Park. In 1834, there were 20 boys and 21 girls attending the renamed

Red River Academy The Red River Academy (later St. John's College, University of Manitoba, St. John's College) in Manitoba, Canada, was established for the training and education of the sons of Hudson's Bay Company employees. It was founded in 1852 by Rev. David Jone ...

. The Academy was purchased in 1849 by the Bishop of Rupertsland, David Anderson, and was renamed St. John's Collegiate. In 1866, the school's name was changed to St. John's College School. Its campus was expanded to include buildings on Main Street and Anderson Avenue, which stood as a

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...

until their

demolition Demolition (also known as razing and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction (building), deconstruction, which inv ...

in the early 1950s. In 1929, Norman Young became the first headmaster of Ravenscourt. Young had been encouraged by a group of Winnipeg businessmen, who promised that their sons would attend. Ravenscourt school was originally located at Armstrong's Point on the

Assiniboine River The Assiniboine River ( ; ) is a long river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked ...

. In 1934, it was relocated to a house built by Colonel R.M. Thomson.Thomson A, Lafortune S. ''Handbook of Canadian Boarding Schools''. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1999, p 241 The unfinished home was located in

Fort Garry Fort Garry, also known as Upper Fort Garry, was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in or near the area now known as The Forks in what is now central Winnipeg, Manitoba. Fort Garr ...

on the banks of the Red River. The new facility was soon expanded to include the Richardson Gymnasium, the first gym in Western Canada to sport a basketball court. In 1950, the Board of

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

churchmen that as a group governed St. John's College decided to close the school. This decision upset the alumni of the school, and the alumni sought a way to continue their school. It was finally decided that St. John's College School would be

amalgamated Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan ama ...

with Ravenscourt. The two schools became St. John's-Ravenscourt. After the flood of 1950, many new facilities were added to the school, notably an arena and a junior school building. In 1971, the school made the decision to readmit girls to the school. In November 1981, Her Majesty the

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

granted her patronage to the School, and one year later gave permission for the creation of scholarship in her name to mark the event of her patronage. In 2004, kindergarten classes and a music room were created for the junior school, and girls were allowed into junior school. In 2014, the new Richardson Senior School and Riley Fitness Centre were opened. The renovation project was done by Bockstael Construction in association with Stantec Architects.

Curriculum

On the national stage, SJR is the host of the annual Canadian National Public Speaking Championship; internationally, SJR has won 15 of the 32 World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships (WIDPSCs) thus far - more than any other school - with their most recent first place overall finish at WIDPSC 2014.

Tuition

There an application fee of $3,000 for new Canadian students and $11,000 for new international students. Day school tuition is $24,960 for kindergarten to grade 5 students and $25,590 for grade 6 to grade 12 students. Boarding school tuition is $26,262 for Manitoba residents, $57,200 for other Canadian residents, and $72,500 for international students. The school has financial aid for those who are unable to pay the full tuition.

Notable alumni

St. John's-Ravenscourt School has produced 18

Rhodes Scholars The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...

, as well as numerous otherwise notable alumni, including: *

Donovan Alexander Donovan Eaton Alexander (born April 3, 1985) is a former professional Canadian football defensive back. He was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in the third round of the 2007 CFL Draft. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted fre ...

: CFL Football player * Tyler Arnason: former

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

player. *

David Asper David Asper (born November 26, 1958) is a Canadian lawyer and businessman, and a former acting dean of Robson Hall, the law faculty of the University of Manitoba. Asper is the son of Izzy Asper, the founder of Canwest, and is now the head of ...

: lawyer (represented

David Milgaard David Milgaard (July 7, 1952 – May 15, 2022) was a Canadian man who was wrongfully convicted for the 1969 rape and murder of nursing student Gail Miller in Saskatoon and imprisoned for 23 years. He was eventually released and exonerated. Up u ...

); businessman;

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of the

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newspaper;

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CanWest Global Communications Corp Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place (now called 201 Portage). It held radio, te ...

. *

Jennifer Botterill Jennifer Botterill (born May 1, 1979) is a Canadian former women's hockey player and current hockey broadcast television analyst who played for Harvard University, the Canadian national team, the Mississauga Chiefs, and the Toronto Aeros. She ...

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 bet ...

gold medallist; former member of the Canadian national women's hockey team. * Steve Braun: television and movie

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. *

Martha Burns Martha Burns (born 23 April 1957)"Martha Burns ret ...

: actress - best known for playing the lead role of Ellen Fanshaw in the award-winning ''

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''. * Charles Camsell: Canadian explorer, author, founder of the

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, Deputy Minister of Mines and Natural Resources,

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. *

Matthew Corrin Matthew Corrin (born 1982) is a asian businessman. He is the founder, chairman and former CEO of Freshii. Early life Corrin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1982. He attended St. John's-Ravenscourt School and the University of Western Ontario ...

: founder of

Freshii Freshii is a Canadian fast casual restaurant franchise that serves burritos, wraps, soups, salads, and frozen yogurt. Founded in 2005 by former CEO Matthew Corrin, it has expanded to over 100 locations in countries such as Canada, the United St ...

Susan Coyne Susan Coyne (born 16 June 1958) is a Canadians, Canadian writer and actress, best known as one of the co-creators and co-stars of the award-winning ''Slings & Arrows'', a TV series which ran 2003–06 about a Canadian Shakespearean theatre c ...

: writer and actor; best known as one of the co-creators and co-stars of the award-winning ''

''. *

Brian Engblom Brian Paul Engblom (born January 27, 1955) is a Canadian ice hockey broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and a former professional hockey defenseman. He was a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens. Biography Engblom was ...

: former

player. *

Brett Hull Brett Andrew Hull (born August 9, 1964) is a Canadians, Canadian–Americans, American former ice hockey player and general manager, and currently an executive vice president of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played f ...

: former

player; son of

Bobby Hull Robert Marvin Hull (January 3, 1939 – January 30, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blond hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot t ...

. *

Gerard Kennedy Gerard Michael Kennedy (born July 24, 1960) is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as Ontario's minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Ca ...

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; former

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 ...

Minister of Education under

Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nea ...

; former candidate for leadership of the federal Liberal party. *

David Kilgour David William Kilgour (February 18, 1941 – April 5, 2022) was a Canadian human rights activist, author, lawyer, and politician. He also served as a senior fellow to the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. Kilgour earned a degree in ...

; one of the longest current serving Members of Parliament and one of the very few who has been elected under both the Progressive Conservative and Liberal banners; awarded the 2009 Human Rights Prize of the International Society for Human Rights in Switzerland for work in raising awareness of state-sponsored organ pillaging in China. *

Ralph Krueger Ralph Krueger (born 31 August 1959) is a Canadian-born German professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the former head coach of the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL), and former chairman of Sout ...

: former

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

head coach; currently the Chair of

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of the

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. * Ryan Reaves: NHL player *

James Armstrong Richardson James Armstrong Richardson, Jr. (March 28, 1922 – May 17, 2004) was a Canadian Cabinet minister under Pierre Trudeau and a Winnipeg businessman. Early life Richardson was born on March 28, 1922, in Winnipeg, Manitoba to James Armstrong Ri ...

; member of

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under

Pierre Elliott Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

; businessman; founder of James Richardson International. * David Schumacher: Emmy-winning television and film producer/director. *

Alexander Steen Alexander Lennart Steen (born 1 March 1984) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player. Steen was drafted 24th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, and started his NHL career with Toronto. Steen was traded to ...

player. *

Sarah Stock Sarah Stock (born March 4, 1979) is a Canadian professional wrestler. She is known for her role in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and WWE as a trainer and producer for WWE. Previously began her career in Canada and moved back and forth across the cou ...

: wrestler (a.k.a. Sarita, Dark Angel) *

Zach Werner Isaac "Zack" Werner (born 1960) is a Canadian artist, producer, entertainment lawyer and manager. Early life and education Born in Winnipeg in 1960, Werner attended the St. John's-Ravenscourt School. He received a B.A. from the University of Mi ...

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

;

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

;

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yer; and

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Athletics

Athletics are an important factor in the SJR community.

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

is the School's most popular sport in terms of participation, with twelve recreational teams from U9 through U16, four Varsity teams and two CAIS traveling teams.

Ultimate Frisbee Ultimate frisbee (officially simply called ultimate) is a non-contact team sport played with a disc flung by hand. Ultimate was developed in 1968 by Joel Silver, Buzzy Hellring, and Jonny Hines in Maplewood, New Jersey. Although ultimate rese ...

is another popular sport at SJR, with traveling teams, and recreational teams.

Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

, another popular sport at SJR, is played in Dutton Memorial Arena. "Max Hockey School". http://www.maxhockey.ca Other popular sports include

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, and

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

Notes

References

*St. John's-Ravenscourt School (2005)
SJR - St. John's-Ravenscourt School - About
Retrieved October 30, 2005.

External links

St. John's-Ravenscourt School Official SiteThe Association of Boarding Schools profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John's Ravenscourt School Preparatory schools in Manitoba Private schools in Manitoba High schools in Winnipeg Elementary schools in Winnipeg Educational institutions established in 1820 1820 establishments in Canada Boarding schools in Manitoba Fort Garry, Winnipeg