Transcript: Central Technical School | Jun 28, 1988
In a black and white clip fast action clip, several male high school students sit at desks and write an exam. A yellow text reads Ontario Retrospect: Central Tech.A worker uses a metal machine to drill a hole in a wooden plank.
The male Narrator says CENTRAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL
WELCOMED ITS FIRST STUDENTS
IN SEPTEMBER OF 1915.
WHOLLY FINANCED BY THE
CITIZENS OF TORONTO, THE
SCHOOL'S INCEPTION WAS
OVERSEEN BY ITS
FIRST PRINCIPAL,
Dr. ALEXANDER McKAY.
STARTING WITH JUST OVER
ONE THOUSAND DAY STUDENTS,
THE SCHOOL HAD FULL
FACILITIES FOR LESSONS
IN THEORY AND PRACTICE.
THE GROWTH OF THE CITY AND ITS
VARIOUS INDUSTRIES HAD LED
TO AN INCREASING NEED FOR
BETTER EDUCATED APPRENTICES.
Dr. McKAY, IN HIS SPEECH AT
THE SCHOOL'S OPENING, STRESSED
THE ALL-ROUND EDUCATION THAT
THE SCHOOL WAS TO GIVE.
THE COMPETITION FOR THE
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN OF THE
SCHOOL HAD CALLED FOR
TWENTY WORKSHOPS FOR THE
BUILDING TRADES ALONE.
HERE, PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
COULD BE GAINED IN ORDER TO
FIND OUT THE PUPIL'S
BEST APTITUDES.
The young boys pour molten lead on a metal pipe and mold it.
The Narrator continues AS WELL AS FACTORY TECHNIQUES,
HOUSEHOLD TRADES SUCH AS
PLUMBING WERE TAUGHT WHICH
ALLOWED THE BOYS TO PRACTICE
SUCH KNACKS AS HOW TO MAKE
A GOOD SEAL ON A PIPE
USING MOLTEN LEAD.
Some girls use laboratory tools to conduct experiments.
The Narrator continues VARIOUS LABORATORIES WERE ALSO
USED FOR SCIENTIFIC CLASSES.
THESE CLASSES WERE
CO-EDUCATIONAL IN MAKEUP,
AND MADAME CURIE'S RECENT
EXAMPLE WAS HELD UP TO
THE GIRLS TO EXHORT THEM TO
GREATER EFFORTS IN SCIENCE.
Some students develop photos in the darkroom.
The Narrator continues DARKROOM FACILITIES WERE ALSO
AVAILABLE TO TRAIN STUDENTS
IN THE DEVELOPING
PHOTOGRAPHIC INDUSTRY.
Some woman sit in a line at a narrow table and sew clothes by hand.
The Narrator continues BUT THE AREA USED PRIMARILY BY
THE GIRLS WAS THE HOUSEHOLD
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.
HERE, ALL KINDS OF
DRESSMAKING CLASSES WERE
WELL ATTENDED.
TWO HIGH SCHOOL COURSES WERE
OFFERED WHEN THE SCHOOL OPENED:
ONE TO HELP FIT THE
GIRLS FOR A TRADE,
THE OTHER IN HOME ECONOMICS.
Some female students make clap pots and sculptures.
The Narrator continues THE EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES
WERE HIGHLY PRAISED BY
THE LOCAL NEWSPAPERS.
ONE OF WHICH COMMENTED THAT A
GREAT FEATURE OF THE CLASSROOM
IN THIS AREA IS THEIR
SIMPLICITY, FINE PROPORTIONS
AND THE SPLENDID LIGHTING
WHICH WILL BE A GREAT BOON
TO EVENING CLASSES.
EVENING CLASSES AT CENTRAL
TECH WERE EXTREMELY POPULAR
AND OVER TWO THOUSAND
PUPILS ENROLLED IN 1915.
THIS WAS BELOW THE CAPACITY
OF THE SCHOOL AT FIRST,
BUT BY 1925 THAT FIGURE
HAD MORE THAN DOUBLED TO
AN ENROLLMENT OF 5,800 FOR
THE EVENING CLASSES ALONE.
BY THIS TIME, THE VALUE OF THE
EDUCATION OFFERED AT CENTRAL
TECH HAD BEEN UNIVERSALLY
RECOGNIZED AND MORE TECHNICAL
SCHOOLS WERE BEING BUILT IN
OTHER PARTS OF THE GROWING
CITY TO HANDLE THE INCREASING
DEMANDS FOR TUITION.
A young student uses plaster to mold a sculpture.
The Narrator continues IN THE DAY COURSES THE GENERAL
AND SPECIAL INDUSTRIAL CLASSES
EXTENDED OVER A THREE-
OR FOUR-YEAR PERIOD.
DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS
50 PERCENT OF THE TIME WAS
DEVOTED TO PRACTICAL
SHOP WORK.
IN 1928, A COURSE IN AIRCRAFT
MECHANICS WAS STARTED AT
THE SCHOOL WHICH WAS
IMMEDIATELY POPULAR.
THIS COURSE WAS ENCOURAGED BY
THE BUILDING OF THE ISLAND
AIRPORT AND, LATER, BY THE
INCREASING WAR EFFORT.
ALONG WITH THE INDUSTRIAL
CLASSES, THERE WAS A FOUR-YEAR
MATRICULATION COURSE THAT
MET REQUIREMENTS FOR
UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE.
Some men type on old typewriters.
The Narrator continues ONE OF THE PRACTICAL COURSES
WAS THAT OFFERED IN NEWSPAPER
PRINTING AND ASSEMBLY.
IN 1926, THE LAST YEAR OF
Dr. McKAY'S TENURE AT THE
SCHOOL, THE STUDENTS FOUNDED
THEIR OWN MAGAZINE CALLED
THE VULCAN WHICH IS THE
REPOSITORY OF MUCH OF
CENTRAL TECH'S HISTORY.
A young woman eats pastries.
The Narrator continues BUT THE PROOF OF THE
PUDDING IS IN THE EATING,
WHICH MIGHT BE A MOTTO FOR
THE DOMESTIC SCIENCE COURSE.
THE HONOURS AND DISTINCTIONS
THAT MANY OF THE PUPILS OF THE
CENTRAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL
HAVE ACHIEVED IS A TRIBUTE
TO THE EDUCATION
THEY RECEIVED THERE.
Against a black background, a text reads Ontario Retrospect: Central Tech. Material courtesy of National Film Archives, Ottawa.
The TVOntario logo appears on screen.