Immaculata celebrates 90 years

Immaculata High School celebrated its 90th anniversary on the weekend of September 30, including a mass at the original site at 211 Bronson Avenue, celebrated by a graduate of the high school. Said principal Sean Power, “It has been a very busy and exciting two weeks for our Immaculata community. Last weekend, we had our 90th anniversary, which was a whole weekend affair. It was nice to see former staff, alumni, students and community members get together to celebrate a 90-year history of Catholic education at Immaculata.”

Immaculata opened on Bronson in 1928 as a high school for girls. Dr. John J. O’Gorman, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish, was one of the leaders in the campaign for the new school that also had the support of the English priests of Ottawa. The Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Pembroke were asked to undertake the task of building, organizing and staffing the new school. Noted architect W.E. Knoffke designed the school; the original building included eight large classrooms, a science laboratory, a home economics room and a gymnasium/auditorium with a stage and office space. From 1928 until the late 1950s, exclusively the Grey Sisters staffed Immaculata. In 1978, Immaculata went co-ed. In September 1991 it moved to its present premises on Main Street.