History of PDCI
With a history dating well before the Confederation of Canada, Perth and District Collegiate Institute has always been the community's school. As a key educational centre in the area, Perth Collegiate has been and still is a focal point for the spirit and culture of the community as many Perth and area residents, both past and present, have attended the school.
Perth and District Collegiate Institute has maintained the original intent of collegiate institutes in Ontario by offering a superior education for students in all pathways. The Collegiate established itself as a strong academic school, a tradition that has continued through to the present day.
Many strong students who have achieved solid careers passed through the doors of Perth Collegiate. Some of those students include:
• Lieutenant-General Donald McNaughton who became the Deputy Commander in Chief of NORAD in 1986
• Honourable J.J. McCann who was elected as an MP in 1935. From 1945 to 1957 he was a federal cabinet minister
• Honourable George McIlraith who was first an MP in 1940 and throughout the 1960s held many cabinet portfolios. In the 1970s, he became a senator
• Honourable William Motherwell was an MP and a federal agriculture minister. His homestead in Saskatchewan is a National Historic Site
• Dr. Rupert Michell sailed with Ernest Shackleton to the Antarctic
• Dr. Lloyd Warren was a professor of actuarial science at the University of Manitoba and named in his honour is the Warren Centre for Actuarial Studies and Research at the University of Manitoba
• Justice Roy Kellock was a justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and a recipient of the Order of Canada Not only has Perth Collegiate excelled in academic activities but it has also excelled in athletics.
The school has a long history of sports with football, hockey, soccer, basketball, cross-country, track and field and other sports being played. Perth Collegiate has a strong tradition of success in many sports. Some of the successful athletes who have attended Perth Collegiate include:
• Billy Smith who played 18 seasons in the NHL, winning four Stanley Cups, one Conn Smythe Trophy, one Vezina Trophy, one Jennings Trophy and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame
• Les Douglas who played professional hockey for twenty years and was the first Perthite to win the Stanley Cup
• Dan Wicklum who won a Grey Cup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• Mike Brown who won a Commonwealth Games gold and bronze medal, and placed fourth at the 2008 Olympics in the 200m Breaststroke
• Sultanna Frizell who won numerous OFSSA shot put gold medals, a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the hammer throw and represented Canada in the hammer throw at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics
• Nick Tritton represented Canada in Judo at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Students of Perth and District Collegiate Institute have a strong history of achieving prominence nationally or internationally but many more achieve solid educations to become active citizens of Perth and district and beyond. The students and graduates of Perth and District Collegiate Institute truly embody the spirit and culture of the community.
Perth and District Collegiate Institute History
Updated September 2023