Sammlung ORG - Westgate Mennonite Collegiate fonds

The school began in 1958 as the Mennonite Educational Institute (Mennonitisches Bildungsinstutut) to offer secondary students an education that fostered the ideals that the supporting Mennonite community valued; "the study of sound academics, faith issues, value systems, scientific investigation, fine arts, and a critical analysis of current issues that faced students and their community." The school was first held in the Education wing of First Mennonite Church with Anna Penner and Frank Neufeld as staff. in 1964 the school acquired the building and grounds of the Convent of the Sacred Heart at 86 West Gate, Winnipeg, MB. In 1978, a major capital expansion program took place adding a gym, multi-purpose room, and offices. Student enrollment was at 98. Further expansion occurred in 1989 with new classrooms, science labs, and computer room. Funding for the school comes from the Province, several supporting congregations from Mennonite Church Manitoba in and around the city, student tuition, and the Westgate Women's Auxiliary who operated a Thrift Store until 1999. In the late 2010s the school added grades 6 and 7 and the student population was around 300. In 2017 further renovations took place at the site.
See also: Janis Thiessen, "Necessary Idealism: A History of Westgate Mennonite Collegiate," (Winnipeg: CMU Press) 2018.