Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute

Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute is a public high school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Port Union neighbourhood of the former suburb of Scarborough. Now part of the Toronto District School Board, the school was opened in 1969 by the Scarborough Board of Education.

Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute
The facade of Sir Oliver Mowat C.I.
Address
5400 Lawrence Avenue East Toronto , Ontario , M1C 2C6 Canada
Coordinates	43°46′45″N 79°08′31″W
Information
School type	Public high school
Motto	De Monte Alto (From a mount high)
Founded	1970
School board	Toronto District School Board (Scarborough Board of Education)
Superintendent	Courtney Lewis
Area trustee	Anu Sriskandarajah Ward 22
School number	4214 / 941972
Principal	Andrea Cross
Grades	9-12
Enrolment	1,077 (2014-15)
Language	English
Schedule type	Semestered
Area	Rouge Hill, Toronto
Colour(s)	Red, Blue and Gold
Mascot	Monte the Mustang
Team name	Mowat Mustangs
Website	schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/mowatci
Last updated: April 23, 2025

The school is named after Oliver Mowat, the Premier of Ontario from 1872 to 1896. Its motto is De Monte Alto ("From a mount high").

History

The school was built in 1969 and was opened on September 8, 1970, as the fourteenth collegiate institute for Scarborough. The school officially opened on April 30, 1971. Mowat named for Sir Oliver Mowat, a Father of Confederation and former Ontario premier. As of April 2015, there were 1077 students enrolled at Mowat. The school originally celebrated its 50th anniversary in April 2020 but COVID-19 pandemic restrictions prevented celebrations from taking place.^[1]

Overview

Sir Oliver Mowat is located near the intersection of Port Union Road and Lawrence Avenue East. For years, Mowat has been renowned for its woodworking facility for the Grade 9 integrated and design programs. The automotive shop has a new professional garage.

Students at Mowat Collegiate are offered academic programs with a wide variety of subjects from which to plan their individual timetables. Courses are available in Art, Business, Computer Science, Drama, English, Family Studies, Modern Languages, Geography, History, Mathematics, Music, Cooperative Education, Health and Physical Education, and Science and Technology. Sir Oliver Mowat is a semestered school.

The school mascot was originally named after the Queen's University Golden Gaels. The school has since adopted (via a 2002 student-led referendum) the "Mustangs" as its school mascot and team name. The school's mascot is named "Monte" after the school's Latin motto. The school colours (derived from the Queen's Tricolour) have remained the same.

Extra-curriculars

• Student Administrative Council
• Prefect Council
• Music Council
• Athletic Council
• United Voices
• Wellness Team

Feeder schools

• Chief Dan George Public School
• Joseph Howe Senior Public School
• Rouge Valley Public School
• William G. Miller Public School
• Joseph Brant Public School
• Charles Gordon Public School (out of area)

Notable alumni

• Jim Creeggan - musician^[2]
• Steve Dangle - sports analyst, best selling author, and internet personality.

Arms

Coat of arms of Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute

Notes Granted 16 January 1995[3] Crest Issuant from a rocky mount Gules an oak sapling Vert trunked and fructed of three Or. Escutcheon Quarterly Gules and Azure semé of acorns Or over all on a Canadian pale wavy Argent a lion rampant Sable collared Or grasping in the dexter forepaw a maple leaf Vert. Motto De Monte Alto (From A Mount High)

See also

• Education in Ontario
• List of secondary schools in Ontario