Page 13 - 1930

Others came and departed, one to remain longer than his predecessors being Rev. Robert Rodgers, who, with his wife carried on the school u n t i l J a n u a r y 1 s t , 1 8 7 3 , w h e n W i l - liam Williams, B. A., was appointed principal. When this change took place there were only fourteen or fif- teen pupils, but in a very few years .the n :rr. ber had greatly iucreased and at times reached three hundred or more, drawn from all parts of the province, Ottawa on the east and Windsor on the west being repres- ented in the same term. The school attained a provincial wide recogni- tion as a seat of learning and in con- sequence many who afterwards be- came prominent in the life of the province and of the Dominion, look back with no little pride to the Col- lingwood Collegiate Institute and with the greatest respect and high- est regard for Mr. Williarm and his staff. Mr. Williams continued as prin- cipal until July 1901, when he re- signed and was succeeded by G. K. Mills, B.A\., now pr·ovincial in1pec- tor of Continuation Schools. Mr. Mills remained until 1903 when G. Hammill, B.A., was appointed. Oth- ers who followed were P. W. Brown, B.A., W. J. Feasby, B.A., H. A. G. Willoughby, M.A., E. E . Ball, B.A. and W. D. T. Atkinson, B.A., who, since September, 1929, has occupied the honorable position of principa l and is proving capable as an admin- istrator and as an educationist.
Starting a,s a grammar school, tbis term was retained for a few years, until the "Collingwood High School" was adopted, the latter be- ing continued until 1884 when the institution was given the rank of a collegiate, the first to have that distinction in the county of Simcoe, Since, it has been known as the Col- lingwoo!f Collegiate lnstitute.
Supplementary to the sohools men- iicrH:d, there are St. Mar'y'.s Sep- arate School for primary education, the public library with nearly twelve thousand volumes, free to students,
t h e H u r o n Institu'~e m u s e u m w i t h upwards of six thousand exhibits,
these in the main pertaining to Col- lingwood and district, also a business college. E'vening classes, including special instruction in navigation and r m a r i n e engi1~eering, a r e c o n d u c t e d for six months of each year.
For seventy odd years Collingwood has enjoyed an outstanding reputa- tion as a community interested in the · education of the young people. From the beginning the desire has been to maintain the high standard set in the earlier years. New build- ings have been added from time to time, the fine modern collegiate in- stitute, opened in January, 1926, be- ing the latest expression of interest on the part of the people of the town. Concurrent with this material evi- dence, there has been a persistent
effort to mantain a t!eaching staff that would give a full return for the confidene•e reposed in them by the public. 'Ibe :r.•.3sult is that Colling- wood today continues as a leading educational centre.
C.C.I. ENTERTAIN FAMED AUTHOR
The students of the C. C. I. were hosts to a man who is known where- ever the English language is read and whose name is, to Canadians at least, a household word. In plain English, we had the honor of enter- taining (or maybe he entertained us) Rev. Dr. Gordon, the well-known minister from Winnipeg, who is more commonly known by his pen name, Ralph Connox:.
Dr. Gordon was introduced by Mr. Atkinson, and spoke to the students in a very interesting manner. His theme was appropriately along the line of education. Dr. Gordon wished us all to understand clearly why we were going to school. It was not, he stated, to cram our heads full of knowledge which we would never be called upon to use, but we were go- ing to school to develop our bodies, and minds .so that when a crisis c a m e w e c 1o u l d e a c h s t e p i n t o t h e breach and do our duty.
"THE G-LEANER" 11