Ashbury College News
Ashbury College News: June 2018
Springfest 2018
Ashbury’s campus came alive in mid-May with our annual Springfest celebration, a sun-filled day to usher in the season!
The morning started off with the Guild Plant Sale and our now-famous Colour Run. Students, staff, alumni and our Head of School all participated in this fun and colourful activity around Rockcliffe Park and Ashbury’s campus.
Rugby rounded out the afternoon with games from our Junior School, Varsity girls, Junior and Senior boys teams. Visitors enjoyed another delicious BBQ lunch and the Guild-run canteen. A reception followed, where alumni and parents enjoyed catching up after an exciting day. Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate!
Welcoming the World
Ashbury will welcome more than 350 teachers and students from 75 schools around the world to its campus from September 27 to October 3, 2018 as we host the Round Square International Conference.
Ashbury is one of 180 schools in the global Round Square network, all sharing a passion for experiential learning and character education. Each year, Round Square schools send students between the ages of 15 to 17 to a leadership conference where they discuss issues facing their generation and experience a program that embraces both adventure and service.
Final plans are now underway for this year’s conference, with its theme of “Bring Your Difference.” The schedule includes engaging speakers, community service projects and outdoor excursions, providing visitors with the opportunity to experience all the National Capital Region has to offer.
Summer at Ashbury
There are still spots left for summer programs at Ashbury, but they’re filling up fast. Academic credit and prep courses are available, along with week-long summer camp options including soccer, art, multi-sports, tech and tools, and more. Programs are suitable for children aged 5 to 17.
Learn more or register online at summer.ashbury.ca.
Ashbury College History
Ashbury College was founded in 1891 by George Penrose Woollcombe, an Oxford University graduate and a new Canadian, who served as Ashbury’s Headmaster for 42 years. The three-room school for boys was originally located on Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, moving to larger quarters also on Wellington Street and then to Argyle Street in 1890 near the present Museum of Nature. In 1910, the school – called Ashbury College after Woollcombe’s English home – moved to its current 13-acre location in the heart of Rockcliffe Park. With the support of benefactors, a new building was constructed for the 115 students, 48 of whom were boarders. Since the 1970s, multiple additions have been made to accommodate the growing number of students, including, in 1982, when girls were first enrolled in the senior school. Today, Ashbury has 170 boys and girls in the Junior School and 515 young men and women, 100 of whom are boarding in the Senior School.
Go to ashbury.ca/about/history for more information on the history of Ashbury College, or check out the recent publication by Stephen Woollcombe entitled The Life and Times of George Penrose Woollcombe: Educator, available at Books on Beechwood.