gate and entrance c. 1950

his site has been created to bring life to the history of the Convent and boarding school known as St. Ann's Academy. When the team designing and researching the site met to discuss how to approach the wide ranging role of St. Ann's throughout its years of operation, between 1858 and 1973, we made an arbitrary distinction between St. Ann's the place and St. Ann's as a group of people. The two topics are broken down further, into categories such as "Daily Life for the Sisters" and "The Auditorium", yet, the stories cross over. The history of St. Ann's is a tapestry, woven from these two threads. By creating a web site, we have brought you a way to pattern your understanding of St. Ann's Academy the way you wish. In reality, history is simply a selection of interesting facts regarding a particular topic, and it is up to the people who study that history to try to understand how all the different parts fit together.

As you look at the menus (top left or the text menu at the bottom), you may decide what parts of the building you want to learn about. We have created a Virtual Tour, with images of how the building appears today, after its restoration, and how it appeared decades ago. As you move about, you will notice that there are graphics, such as small apples, that indicate activities and information for teachers and students using this site as part of their school programmes. The Teacher's Corner is designed to provide information for instructors navigating the site with their classes, or wanting to bring activities to their students, away from the computer, as well as curriculum planning. The Student's Corner can be used by students working by themselves.

You can explore St. Ann's on line, from 'start to finish' or focus on different topics. It is simple to return to any area, by using the menus, or the map which accompanies the Virtual Tour. We have included many photographs to help you visualize the Academy, the Sisters and the pupils, and quotes and stories to give voices to those same people. Pieces of old letters and scrap books and details of the architecture and restoration allow you to compare changes over time. There is a discussion of how the site was made, so that the process of researching and designing a web site is revealed.

There are many things that are not discussed in the text of this site, but we encourage you to visit other historical and schoolnet sites, and to read about the topics you are interested in at the library. If you live near St. Ann's or when travelling to Victoria, you will even be able to visit for yourself!

St. Ann's was established in 1858, and the building as we see it today was constructed in three sections, between 1871 and 1913. The Sisters operated a school, Convent and Novitiate within its walls. The grounds went through several phases, serving meditative, recreational and practical needs over the years. The Academy closed its doors in 1973, but the history and development continues, with restorations and its current uses. Visit the time line to view the chronology of St. Ann's Academy.