RCI Wall of Achievement

The RCI Wall of Achievement honours former staff and students of our School who have gone on to earn distinction in various fields of endeavour.  By awarding a place onto the Wall of Achievement, RCI proclaims that the achievements of these former Raiders will be an inspiration through the years to other students who will follow in their footsteps - guided by knowledge, and realizing excellence.

Nominate someone today at http://bit.ly/RCIWofAnomination 

for more information, please contact Adam Noack at noacka@rcdsb.on.ca

Inductees

Charlotte Whitton

INDUCTED 2007

After Charlotte graduated from Renfrew Collegiate Institute, she continued her education at Queen's University in Kingston in preparation for her political and social activist career.  Charlotte was elected as the Mayor of the City of Ottawa in 1951, becoming the first female mayor of a major city in Canada.  Her political career spanned over a decade with election wins in 1952, 1954, 1960, and 1962.  Charlotte was the Director and driving force behind the Canadian Council on Child Welfare (which later became the Canadian Welfare Council and the Canadian Council on Social Development).  She will be remembered as an advocate for women's equality in the workplace and in the political arena.  With Charlotte's accomplishments, she is the first inductee onto the RCI Wall of Achievement.

Dr. George Burwell, Sr.

INDUCTED 2008

Dr. George Burwell was a student at Renfrew Collegiate Institute at age eleven before attending Queen's University for his undergraduate and medical studies.  After receiving his medical degree in 1915, Dr. Burwell served overseas with the Canadian Army Medical Corps in France, Macedonia, India and Germany.  For his service with the Shropshire Light Infantry and the Lancashire Fusiliers, he was awarded the Military Cross and Bar twice.  From here, Dr. Burwell completed post-graduate work in New York City and then returned to Renfrew to open an office where he practised medicine for more than fifty years.  His service in the Renfrew community was vast.  He served as the Renfrew and District Medical Officer of Health for over thirty years, served as the Renfrew Victoria Hospital Chief of Staff, was elected as a Renfrew Town Council Member, and is a charter member and past president of the Royal Canadian Legion, Renfrew Branch.

(Major) Dave Lorente

INDUCTED 2008

Major Dave Lorente's influence on the community of Renfrew reaches far beyond the walls of Renfrew Collegiate Institute.  His teaching career at RCI began in 1952 and continued for a span of over thirty years.  During his years on staff, Major Lorente was instrumental in establishing the Harpooner (yearbook) as a cultural icon with Raider country.  Moreover, he was a leading force with the RCI Cadet Corps and Rifle Team.  Major Lorente's passion and expertise led RCI to numerous provincial, national, and international championships.  Most notably, he was the coach of the 1966 Canadian Inter-School Rifle Champions, 1967 Canadian Centennial Rifle Champions, 1969 Canadian Rifle Association Champions and the 1970 Silver Medallists at the Commonwealth Rifle Championships.  Major Lorente is also the founder and chair of Home Children Canada which has been honoured by numerous provincial, national, and international organizations and governments. He is has also authored the foreword to the book The Golden Bridge:  Young Immigrant to Canada 1933-1939.

Martin Cybulski-Ross

INDUCTED in 2010

Martin Cybulski-Ross is one of RCI's most celebrated War Veterans. His career with the Canadian Armed Forces was celebrated by winning the Distinguished Cross for his work with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.  Martin flew Fighter Command's first Mosquito daylight penetration into the German Homeland on March 27,1944. Before his wartime heroics, Martin won a place on the National Rifle Team which competed at Bisley in the United Kingdom. 

Dr. J.Y. Ferguson

INDUCTED in 2010

After attending RCI, James Young Ferguson studied at Queen's University gaining a B.A in 1902 and his Medical Doctorate in 1905. Upon graduation, Dr. Ferguson immediately volunteered as a foreign missionary and from 1905 to 1014 was a Presbyterian medical missionary in Formosa (Taiwan).  He was instrumental in the founding of the MacKay Memorial Hospital in Taipei.  Upon his return to Canada, Dr. Ferguson established a general practice in Toronto before being appointed Chief of Staff and Chief Surgeon for Toronto East General Hospital. After retiring as Chief in1947, he headed a world-wide survey of Medical Missions on behalf of the United Church of Canada. Dr. Ferguson continued practicing medicine up until his 89^th birthday.  Dr. Ferguson is a Senior Life Member of the Toronto East Medical Association and was the recipient of the GM Grant Prize for Moral Excellence. 

Professor Kay Armatage

INDUCTED in 2014

After graduating from RCI in 1961, Kay Armatage studied English Literature at Queen's University and University of Toronto, graduating with a PhD in 1974. She then pursued a path of academic life as a tenured professor of Women's Studies and Cinema Studies at the University of Toronto. In fact, Armatage was instrumental in creating U of T's undergraduate program in Women's Studies, one of the first in Canada. Over her career,  Armatage authored and edited books and articles on women filmmakers, feminist theory, and Canadian Cinema. She also produced and directed documentary and experimental narrative films, for which she won prizes in international film festivals.The Arts and Services communities have also recognized Armatage for her career contributions, awarding her the Toronto Women in Film and Television Award of Merit in 1988 and 2004,  YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 1989, and the Clyde Gilmour Award for enriching the understanding and appreciation of Canadian cinema in 2004. Armatage also served as an international programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival from 1983 to 2004 and was the founding Director of the University of Toronto's Graduate Collaborative Program in Women's Studies from 1994 to 2000.   Since retiring from U of T in 2011, she has been involved in activist research on women filmmakers and women's film festivals.

Professor Stacey Brydges

INDUCTED in 2015

Stacey Brydges graduated from RCI in 1991 with the distinction of Valedictorian before embarking on an exciting and fulfilling path to a career linking science and society. She earned a B.Sc. with Honours in Chemistry (and minor in Economics) in 1996, followed by a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry in 2003 from McMaster University in Hamilton, ON, Canada. From 2004-2008, she held the position of lecturer and associate research scientist in the Department of Chemistry at Columbia University in the City of New York, USA. In 2008 she moved west to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where she is a tenured professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. She has merged her professional interests in chemical research and education at the graduate, undergraduate, and pre-college levels by focusing on curriculum development, pedagogical reform, and K-21 programs, and by working with educators and administrators in Canada and the United States to advance access to, and retention in, education and careers in science, particularly for women and underrepresented minorities. Her most recent accolades include two Faculty Appreciation Awards from UCSD's Office of Academic Support & Instructional Services (2008-09; 2009-10), an Outstanding Professor Award from UCSD's Panhellenic Council (2013), and a UCSD Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award(2013-14). Fiercely proud of her RCI alumna status and Ottawa Valley roots, Professor Brydges continues to advance national and international efforts to raise science literacy.

Brad Proctor

INDUCTED 2016

Brad Proctor graduated from Renfrew Collegiate in 1987.  Brad turned his hobby of special effects make-up into a career in the television and movie industry.  Brad has worked on a variety of television and movie productions including The X-Files, Stargate: Atlantis, R.L. Stine's Monsterville, Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers, Heroes Reborn,  The 6th Day, Saving Silverman, Capote, Snakes on a Plane, Blair Witch, and The Predator. Brad and his work have been recognized by industry leaders having been nominated for various Leo, Emmy, and Gemini Awards.  Brad's work with Stargate: Atlantis won him a Gemini Award in 2009 for Best Achievement in Make-Up. In 2016, Brad was a winner of a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Make-Up with this work on R.L. Stine's Monsterville.  Brad is an occasional instructor at the Vancouver Film School and is the author of the book Strange Things and Hamsters.

Scott McCullough

INDUCTED 2017

Scott McCullough graduated from Renfrew Collegiate in 1988 having been voted "Top Athlete" by his peers.  After RCI, Scott graduated from the University of Toronto's Physical Education program in 1992 and from Sheridan College's Sports Injury Management program in 1995. These qualifications landed Scott the position of Assistant Athletic Trainer & Therapist of the Vancouver Grizzlies NBA franchise.  He was promoted to Head Athletic Trainer & Therapist of the Grizzlies in the 2000-2001 season and served in this role until 2006 after the franchise had relocated to Memphis.  Scott moved back to Ontario in 2006 to become the Toronto Raptors' Head Athletic Trainer & Therapist; a position he holds today (2017).  Scott's work has been recognized by the NBA as he was selected to serve as the Eastern Conference All-Star Athletic Trainer in 2011 and 2016. Scott is a certified member of the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association and the National Strength & Conditioning Association.  In 2010, Scott received his Master  of Science degree (with Honours) in Human Movement from A.T. Still University.

Dr. Peter Raaphorst

INDUCTED 2018

Peter Raaphorst attended RCI from 1963 to 1968 before attending the University of Waterloo earning his B.Sc. M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics with a subspecialty in Biophysics. During this time, he received the Isaac Newton Award for excellence in physics. In 1976, Raaphorst went on to do a post-doctoral study at Colorado State University where he began his research on cancer treatment using combinations of heat, radiation, and drugs which led  him to become a team leader for research using hyperthermia on the killing of cancer cells. In 1979, he moved to Manitoba joining Atomic Energy of Canada where he became the Head of the Radiobiology research section and continued his research on the use of radiation and heat in the treatment of cancer. Thereafter, Raaphorst became the Head of Medical Physics at the Ottawa Hospital (then known as the Civic and General Hospitals). In Ottawa, Raaphorst gained full professor appointments in Physics at Carleton University and in Radiology at the University of Ottawa with a cross appointment to the Henan Tumour Hospital in Zhen Zhou, China. Raaphorst became the founding director of the Ottawa Medical Physics Institute creating partnerships with government, academic, and industry partners. He continued his research on cancer therapy bringing in $3.46 million for research from both the National Institutes for Cancer Research in Canada and the U.S.A. Along with this research, Raaphorst’s graduate student training program helped him graduate 10 Ph.D. and 11 M.Sc. students from the departments of Physics, Biology and Physiology. Upon his retirement in 2005, Peter was awarded the prestigious Ottawa Life Sciences Council Lifetime Achievement Award and later the Gold Medal Award for Lifetime Achievement in Medical Physics by the Canadian Organization of Medical Physics. In retirement, Raaphorst  became the Head of Physics for the Canadian Bone Mineral Density Accreditation Program and writing its National Policies for quality control. In 2015, he became the chair of finance for the Renfrew Refugee Welcome Group. 

Dr. Kathryn Elizabeth Lindsay 

INDUCTED in 2019 

Kathryn Lindsay is a sixth generation resident in the Renfrew area. She graduated as RCI valedictorian in 1972 and went on to earn a BSc (Biology) from Queen’s University and a Ph.D (Biology) from Carleton University. These educational milestones facilitated a varied career in research, education and public service. She has held numerous positions in government departments such as Environment Canada and the United States Environmental Protection Agency Regional Ecology Lab in Corvallis, Oregon. This work had Lindsay leading a variety of initiatives to help shape public policy surrounding wildlife conservation, ecosystem sustainability, landscape design, and biodiversity risk assessment. In the academic year of 1997-1998, Lindsay was the first non-American to be selected for the LOEB Fellowship program at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. Here, she joined a team of civic leaders from a variety of disciplines and world-renowned designers to collaborate on building and revitalizing community structures and natural environments. Lindsay has served as an Adjunct Research Professor in Carleton’s Geography and Environmental Studies and Biology Departments from 1997 to present lecturing and supervising student research at Carleton and a variety of other universities including University of Ottawa, University of Guelph, University of Toronto, Trent University, and Oregon State University. Lindsay’s research led to 56 peer-reviewed journal articles, 16 book chapters/reviews and 45 reports/proceedings. From 2002 to present, she has served as a founder and co-director of Carleton University’s Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Lab. In addition to her career milestones, Lindsay has been active in horticulture and floral design as a member and judge for numerous horticultural societies and as the District Director for the upper Ottawa Valley with the Ontario Horticultural Association. She has also been very involved as a Director and program volunteer with the Bonnechere River Watershed Project (BRWP) since 2007 and as Chair of the Board since 2009.  She has been instrumental in securing close to $400,000 of grant funding to establish and support the BRWP website and facebook page, RiverWatch program, Celebrate Our Rivers paddle series, Renfrew County Stewardship Forum, Nature in Your Neighbourhood series, fostering stewardship through the arts and most recently, the Freshwater Partners Renfrew County initiative. Dr. Lindsay was the recipient of the Ottawa Riverkeeper’s 2019 Watershed Community Impact Award in recognition of her dedication and hard work in protecting the Ottawa River. 

Dr. Travis Fridgen 

INDUCTED in 2020

Travis Fridgen graduated from RCI in 1989 and entered the Trent/Queen’s concurrent education program; inspired by his teachers, he had every intent of becoming a chemistry teacher. Following the completion of a B.Sc.(Hons) in Chemistry (1993) and a taste of academic research under his belt, he decided he needed to pursue a career in research. He completed his B.Ed. (1994), which included teaching at RCI under Mr. Clive Mills, then went on to do a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry (1999, Queen’s). The B.Ed. came in useful as Fridgen taught high school on occasion and was also asked to teach two first year courses at Trent University during his Ph.D. studies. Dr. Fridgen conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Waterloo and was Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Laurier before he and his family moved to St. John’s, NL in 2005 to begin a tenure-track position at Memorial University. His NSERC-funded research involves the investigation of the structure, energetics, and reactions of biologically relevant ions in the gas-phase. After three years as Head of the Department of Chemistry, in 2018 he became Associate Dean of Science (Undergraduate) and then Acting Dean of Science in 2020.His interests in teaching have never waned and throughout his career he has taught at every level, given talks and seminars on science education, pilots new technologies to engage students such as (i.e. personal response systems, Snapchat, Discord, etc.), and has contributed to chemistry education across Canada as a co-author of a widely-used first year post-secondary chemistry textbook. For his efforts, Dr. Fridgen received the inaugural Dean of Science Distinguished Teaching Award (2017) and the President's Award for Distinguished Teaching (2020). Life in Newfoundland is great, but along with his wife Lisa and children Cailyn, Carter, Colton, and Chloe, Fridgen loves coming back to Renfrew and area to visit family and friends.

Clair Seeley

INDUCTED in 2021

Clair Seeley dedicated his life to public education and sport.  Growing up in Brockville, Claire received his Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University in 1948 and his Masters of Education thereafter.  He was a member of the RCI staff from 1949 to 1969 serving as a teacher, a coach, a vice-principal, and principal.  In 1961, Clair coached the Senior Boys Basketball team to the provincial championships, then called the Golden Ball, in 1961 and 1962. In 1962, they captured the consolation championship there.   From 1969 to 2000, he held various positions within the Renfrew County District School Board including time as superintendent and trustee.  One of Claire’s life-long passions was the game of baseball.  From 1954 to 2006, he was involved in every aspect of baseball in the Town of Renfrew.  He was the winner of the North Renfrew Baseball League Coach of the Year in 1973 and 1975, and was the Ontario Baseball Association Coach of the Year in 1988.  Mr. Seeley was one of the founding members of the Vintage Baseball Association of Ontario in 1980 and was inducted into its Wall of Fame in 1988. Mr. Seeley was instrumental in relocating Renfrew’s athletic facilities from Pine Avenue to the present-day Ma-te-Way park and was instrumental in the construction of a regulation-size baseball field there-a field named after him in his honour. This work within Renfrew Recreation was recognized with his induction into the Renfrew and Area Recreation Wall of Fame in 2006.  Generations of students and athletes were mentored by Clair and he is remembered for his zest for life, optimism, kindness, gentlemanly ways.  He passed away in 2015.