Submitted by the Staff of the Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH)
In the spring of 2023, OMAH received a donation of objects that had been saved from several local schools that have closed. The donor had overseen the care and maintenance of the school properties, and so had been able to save the objects.
Represented in the collection are institutions through which have passed thousands of Orillia and area students: Park Street Collegiate Institute, David H. Church, Mount Slaven, Orillia Central School, Hillcrest, Ardtrea Cumberland Beach, and Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute (ODCVI) as represented by the crest in the photograph.
This crest hung above the stage at ODCVI until 2016 when the high school closed, replaced by Orillia Secondary School. ODCVI was the oldest high school in Orillia: the location at the corner of West Street and Borland Street was initially called Orillia High School, and first welcomed students in 1876.
When the school burned down in 1898, it was replaced by Orillia Collegiate Institute which began hosting classes in 1900. As the school population grew, the building was expanded upon with the addition of a vocational wing in 1956. This crest was created after 1956 to reflect the entire scope of the school.
Many generations of Orillians attended ODCVI, and we’re fortunate that within the OMAH collection we have objects like this to remind us of the importance of schools in our community’s history.
Next week we will feature another object from the OMAH collection that showcases our local history.
