Oakwood Collegiate Institute

Oakwood Collegiate Institute (commonly known as OCI or Oakwood) is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the neighbourhoods of Regal Heights, Oakwood-Vaughan and Bracondale Hill. History and Alumni Oakwood was founded in 1907. Originally situated above King Edward Public School (Jr. & Sr.), in 1911 architect Charles Hartnoll Bishop completed the permanent location opened at the corner of St. Clair Ave. West and Oakwood Avenue in Collegiate Gothic structure. The school's motto, tempus litteris demus, is translated from the Latin in this context to mean "take the time to learn." Layout Oakwood's population studies in a three-storey building and has a gym, weight room and art department located in the basement. The "centre" of the building is the school's auditorium, and can be accessed from the first and second floors. Two wings jut out from the main building, one in a westerly direction (towards Dufferin St.), and one in a southerly direction (towards Davenport Rd.) The basement houses the departments of Visual Arts and Technological Design, as well as the school's athletic facilities: two gyms, a smaller "games room" used for intramural sports, a pool with a viewing gallery, and a weight room. During the last stretch of the Ontario New Democratic Party government of Bob Rae, Oakwood was next on the list of schools to be renovated, directly after Riverdale Collegiate Institute. After Rae had lost the 1995 provincial elections to the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario under Mike Harris, the plans for renovation were scrapped. Among them were plans for a re-orientation of the auditorium (which would face east, not south), and an orchestra pit. Schedule Contrary to an increasing number of schools in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the school remained non-semestered until 2019; in other words, a course ran for a full year. Oakwood followed a four-day "block" cycle, although due to its status as a non-semestered school, classes were shorter and occurred more frequently. Each period lasted approximately 75 minutes during a regularly scheduled day. Days that did not fit the regular pattern were modified period starting and ending times. Oakwood became semestered as of September 2020. Extracurricular activities Athletics Oakwood is home to the Barons and the Lady Barons sports teams. The school has traditionally performed in soccer, rugby, hockey, basketball, field hockey, and archery. The school is home to several intramural leagues (i.e. students against students), including basketball and floor hockey. Athletic teams are managed by the department of Physical Education, the Girls' Athletic Association (GAA) and the Boys' Athletic Association (BAA). The two gyms provide sufficient, yet limited use for games between Oakwood and other high schools. Intramural league games are held in a third gymnasium named the "Games Room"; a weight room is available to students during regular school hours. The senior Barons boys basketball team won the (OFSAA) Ontario high school basketball championship for the 2013-2014, 2022–23, and 2023-24 seasons, and won bronze in 2024-25. The team won the (TDSSAA) Toronto high school senior boys basketball championship for the 2014-2015 season. Student government Government is provided by the student organization Caput (Latin for "Head"). There are six positions available: The President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Social Convenor are all elected by students in the spring. The five elected students are responsible for electing a sixth student to the position of Executive Member. Concerts Music students put on several performances a year: two main ones in November and April, jazz concerts throughout the year, and a Chamber Concert for senior students who perform concerti on their instrument. This is also an opportunity for senior students to organize and perform their own musical acts. Concerts traditionally end with a singing of the school song. Musicals Every year the Oakwood Drama Society puts on a major production, usually a musical. Trips Various departments co-ordinate trips to international locations in order to enhance students' knowledge of the subject they are studying. Previous locations have included Beijing, China; Ålborg, Denmark; Los Angeles, California; Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; Paris, France; Rome, Italy; Athens, Greece; Vienna, Austria; Prague, Czech Republic; New York City, New York; and Chicago, Illinois. Particularly within the Music Department, teachers keep the location of trips secret until they are mostly planned. Notable former students See also Education in Ontario List of secondary schools in Ontario References External links Official TDSB webpage School maintained webpage Archived 2006-11-06 at the Wayback Machine School history and architectural details on TOBuilt