It was the first high school in Montreal and is still considered one of the best in the province. It was particularly well regarded for its "accelerated immersion" program, in which students from English schools who were in French immersion programs could, within two years, be brought up to the same level as students who came from francophone schools. Although enrollment was previously limited to boys, the school has been co-educational since 1997. The school's performance hall, the Ermitage, was an important venue for public concerts in Montreal from its establishment in 1914 up into the 1960s.
In a widely reported article in 2008, Le Journal de Montréal found that school administrators and in particular its director-general, Jacques Giguère, had expensed many non-school related items, including high-priced furniture, a luxury hotel suite for a Christmas party, and the services of a personal trainer. Both the school's teachers union and staff union called for Giguère's resignation.[1]
On October 31, 2017, previous director, Jocelyn Roy, dressed as Bob Marley and used blackface for Halloween. This caused controversy at the school however, this has had little effect to the school's overall reputation. Many of the Black students at the school expressed anger towards the director even though he claimed he was simply paying tribute to the singer.
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