School History
Located on a site with a storied history, our school bears the
name of communication and media theorist, Marshall McLuhan.
McLuhan was born in Edmonton on July 21, 1911, and raised in Winnipeg. He
attended the University of Manitoba, earning a BA and MA, and subsequently,
completing a BA, MA and PhD at the University of Cambridge. McLuhan's studies were in English, Engineering, and Religion.
Marshall McLuhan converted to Roman Catholicism on March 25, 1937. He thought
of his date of conversion as a date of his birth, hence, at McLuhan CSS, we
celebrate our patron on March 25th.
McLuhan's career consisted of teaching positions at the
University of Wisconsin in Madison, at St. Louis University, and at Assumption
University in Windsor. He moved to Toronto in 1948 where he joined St.
Michael's College of the University of Toronto (U of T).
It was in Toronto where McLuhan's global reputation grew. He began a series of
Communication and Culture seminars, establishing the Centre for Culture and
Technology at the U of T in 1963. He remained there until 1979. McLuhan died in
1980.
The arrival of the Internet brought renewed interest in his work. He is most
widely noted for exploring media's effect on its message, coining the phrases 'Global
Village', 'The Medium is the Message', classifying 'hot' and 'cool' media, and
essentially predicting the way we access information and communicate globally.
Marshall McLuhan also spoke of the 'City as Classroom‛. At Marshall McLuhan
C.S.S., we live out his idea that learning extends beyond the walls of our
classrooms, and as such, we offer our students a wide variety of experiences.
As a lively hub of learning, our students participate in field trips near and
far. We have also hosted world-renowned experts, some of whom include: Chris
Hadfield, Marina Nemat, Anthony De Sa, Mariatu Kamara, and Father Stan Fortuna.
Through these and many other life-altering learning experiences, Marshall
McLuhan C.S.S. continues to promote the development of the whole child.
Our school strives to embody Marshall McLuhan's devotion to his faith, and his
passion for the influence of technology on society.
References:
"Eglinton Hunt Club - RCAF Institute of Aviation
Medicine". Torontoplaques.com. Web. Dec 9, 2012.
Levinson, Paul. Digital McLuhan: A Guide to the Information Millennium.
Oxford: Routledge, 1999.
McLuhan, Michael. December 2013.
Plummer, Kevin. "Historicist: Marshall McLuhan, Urban Activist". Torontoist,
4 June 2011. Web. Dec 9, 2012.