During the school year of 1994/95, the student population expanded into a split Grade 1/2.  In September 1994, the Mulgrave Independent School Society became a separate entity from the Independent School Society of West Vancouver.  The newly established Board of Mulgrave School then began a series of complex municipal negotiations and hearings, which resulted in the securing of leased facilities at the North Shore Winter Club in the District of North Vancouver in September 1995, where the school remained for the next five years. Throughout this time the Board of Directors worked diligently to fulfill its mandate of securing a permanent site to realize the Mulgrave dream of offering a complete school programme of K - 12.

After an extended search, the school purchased the new site at Cypress Lane and moved into its permanent home in September 2001. It is an exquisite property with extensive views of the ocean and the mountains. The stunning 100,000 square foot school has developed further to feature spacious and well-equipped classrooms, cutting-edge science labs, double and single gym, 25,000 volume library, and 400-seat theatre.

Having focused on establishing Mulgrave School as a strong consideration for North Shore parents, Linda Hamer retired from Mulgrave in 2002 to take on new challenges. The appointment of Mulgrave’s new permanent Head of School Tony Macoun in September 2004, has ensured that Mulgrave has achieved capacity enrolment of 750 students in 2006. Together with the energy of the original dream and the experienced leadership and vision of Tony Macoun, Mulgrave, now an International Baccalaureate School, is considered to be a school of choice for parents across Canada.

Mulgrave Crest

Mrs. Milena Robertson, whose twin sons attended Mulgrave from grade 1 through to graduation (2006), designed the school crest. The flourishing M symbolizes the Renaissance spirit of the school, while the pen and quill define and emphasize the power of the written and spoken word. The free-floating trefoil comes from the family crest of the Mulgrave family.
 

Mulgrave Tartan

The Mulgrave tartan comes from the Smith Clan whose ancestral home is the Island of Lewis in the Hebrides of Scotland

 Honorary Governor Inducted into Hall of Fame

On November 11, 2006, Michael Conway Baker, Mulgrave’s musical honorary governor, was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame, in a ceremony at Vancouver’s historic Orpheum Theatre. Permanent evidence of this honour will be his own star bearing his name, embedded on Granville Street, as well as his photo on the Starwall inside the Orpheum.

Another recent achievement for Mr. Conway Baker was being named composer-in-residence for the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, led by maestro Ken Hsieh, who is also associate conductor of the Vancouver Symphony.

In the realm of education, Mr. Conway Baker taught school music early in his career, and later film music at UBC and Capilano College, in addition to presenting many seminars. He has been a Mulgrave honorary governor since the Winter Club days, having visited the school and external school functions on numerous occasions over the years, as conductor, lecturer, interviewee, concert patron and gift bearer. Among his major gifts have been the music and orchestration for the Mulgrave Anthem. He also has been pivotal in securing Mulgrave choral performances in the past with the Vancouver Youth Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. 

Among Mr. Conway Baker’s previous honours are a Juno Award for Best Classical Composition on a Recording, three Genies for feature film work, an ACTRA (Gemini) award for Best TV Series Score, the Order of British Columbia, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal as an outstanding Canadian citizen, and the FANS Award from the North Shore Arts Commission. He is also proud to have been nominated for a Gemini for the scoring of a Road to Avonlea t.v. episode and, along with his wife, Penny Anne Baker, as lyricist, for another Genie nomination for Best Original Song in the feature film, Savage Land.    

The music of Michael Conway Baker is heard via radio, television, CD, concert halls, dance venues and ice arenas. Numbering among the many symphony orchestras for which he has composed, orchestrated and recorded scores are those from Vancouver, Toronto, London (England), Munich, and Salt Lake City. His Vancouver Variations reached new heights of popularity when chosen as the theme music for CBC Radio’s request show, Here’s to You. Other popular hallmarks include an original score for the Ice Capades show (and ABC-TV special), Cinderella: Frozen in Time, Dorothy Hamill’s ice ballet. Mr. Conway Baker’s most frequently performed ballet score is Washington Square, commissioned by the National Ballet of Canada, originally starring Veronica Tennant. Recent works are currently being choreographed and performed in Vancouver by Pro Arte. In 1998, Nostalgia/Goodlife TV Cable Network (US) commissioned 106 new ballroom dance pieces for their weekly series of competitive Ballroom Dancesport programs. Since then, Mr. Conway Baker also has written other Dancesport pieces for international live competitions and TV coverage. His major Dancesport project, The Snowball Classic 2000, premiered on WTN in April of that year. His music was used exclusively for the World Championship Latin Competitions (A&E). As well, WTN has used music from the Snowball CD in their Dancing at the Palais weekly series.

The photo shows Mr. Conway Baker at the piano wearing his Order of BC medal, along with one of his Genie awards and his Juno Award. (Photo © 2006 by Daniel Pi, North Shore Outlook.) 

Mulgrave Anthem

Verse One

School on Mount Cypress overlooks the ocean.

Here are the students reaching for the sky.

Knowledge with virtue stands as Mulgrave's motto.

We give our best in everything we try.

Verse Two

Simple beginnings, building on each day,

Mulgrave's the place where dreams come true.

Working together, spurring on each other,

Trust in Mulgravians' friendship, through and through. 

To view Mulgrave Anthem Melody click here.