Our History
The school is operated by the Guido de Brès Canadian Reformed School Society. This incorporated society has as its basis the Word of God as confessed in the Reformed doctrinal standards.
Our school is named after Guido de Brès, a preacher of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands who died as a martyr to the faith in the year 1567. He was the chief author of the Belgic Confession, one of the doctrinal standards of the Reformed Churches. A statement from article 12 of this Confession is inscribed on the wooden plaque in the front lobby summarizes our school’s vision: “ ...to the end that man may serve his God”. This plaque was presented to the school on the occasion of the official opening of the original building on the present site on October 1, 1977.
The school was established in September 1975 with grades 9, 10, and 11. Classes were held in the old Central High School building in downtown Hamilton for two years. In September 1977 the school was able to move into its own newly built premises on Stone Church Road East on the Hamilton Mountain. Crerar Drive was extended in front of our school, giving us a new street address.
Our school has been blessed with strong support and steady growth in enrolment. When the school opened in 1975, there were seven teachers and just over 100 students. By September 2016, we had thirty-three teachers, five educational assistants and just over 400 students in grades 9 to 12.
With our school’s rapid growth came the realization that the original building was inadequate in terms of space and specialized rooms. Starting in April, 1995, a massive fundraising campaign was undertaken. The campaign was appropriately called “Building in Faith.” By the December 1995 deadline, a total of $2,500,000 was pledged. The Board then set up a building committee to work with an architect to finalize plans for an expanded facility that would add seven additional rooms, including a new science and computer lab, a new library, a new double gym, expanded guidance, art, and music facilities, upgraded administrative offices, and larger technical shops. Construction began in May 1996 with the first phase ready for occupancy by February 1997. The final renovation of the old gym into classrooms and shops was completed by September 1997. This construction project almost doubled our floor area and usable space.
Since then, another smaller addition has allowed for the development of a special needs wing, which allowed us to educate high-school aged children with various special needs.
On May 30, 2015, we celebrated Forty Years of Grace. A video celebrating all that God has given to us in this school can be viewed here
The revised school crest was adopted at the spring membership meeting, May 6, 2005. This logo uses symbols that were also in our old logo to communicate the vision and motto of our school: the Alpha and Omega, and wheat.
The Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In the book of Revelation, both the LORD God and the Lord Jesus Christ are called "the Alpha and the Omega" (Rev. 1:8; 21:6; 22:13). In Christian history the designation came to be a name for Christ expressing both his divinity and eternity. For Christians, He is the Beginning and End of life. "Everything in Christ!" The symbol is very appropriate for our school since we confess that Christ is the Alpha and the Omega also of the wisdom, knowledge and understanding our school seeks to impart to our covenant youth.
Wheat represents the children of God (Parable of the Wheat and the Tares -- Matthew 13). The stalks of wheat in the centre of the logo symbolize how we are safely in the embrace of Christ. Again, "Everything in Christ!" As we learn and teach, we do so in Christ.
