About Our Website
Baron Byng High School, was the alma mater of generations of Jewish, Greek and other immigrant kids in Montreal, many of whom went on to excel in numerous fields.
The website baronbynghighschool.ca (Baron Byng High School Museum) was created to preserve its history and capture its spirit (“The Spirit of Byng”) for generations to come.
In the summer of 2011, a group of Baron Byng High School (BBHS) alumni during a class of 60 reunion first came up with the idea of creating a museum about their cherished and famous school to keep the spirit of “Byng” alive.
Initially the idea was to create a physical museum in the school’s former site, 4251 St. Urbain Street, Montreal, which at the time was home to the Sun Youth Organization. When this proved to be unfeasible, the committee headed by Ted Rotsztein decided to go virtual by creating the web site baronbynghighschool.ca.
The web site was launched on June 6, 2016 at the University Club of Montreal where more than 120 alumni attended. Notable alumni that were present were, retired Supreme Court justice Morris Fish, former MNA Harry Blank, artist Rita Briansky, former McGill University dean of medicine Abe Fuks, former Quebec Court of Appeal judge Joseph Nuss, businessman and engineer Lorne Trottier (a major sponsor of the project), famous writer Mordecai Richler, Sydney Shulemson, the highest-ranking Jewish officer during World War II, actress Marilyn Lightstone, NDP leader David Lewis, former Quebec justice minister Herbert Marx, and Rudolph Marcus who won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1992.
Over the years, the Baron Byng High School Museum evolved into an extensive online project where memorabilia, yearbooks, and videos about the famous school can be accessed. The Baron Byng Museum and Hall of Honour pays homage to the history and life of BBHS and traces the evolution of the high school from its opening in 1921 to its closing in 1980 due to the Quebec language laws.
In April of 2023 the website went offline. A few months later in July, a group of three alumni (Simon Assouline, BBHS 1966, and Patrick Nouguier, BBHS 1972) led by P. T. Tzanakos (BBHS 1975), a seasoned IT professional with over 35 years of experience, started working on resurrecting or rebuilding the website.
Over a year later, in September of 2024, the new version of the website went online, ensuring that the legacy of Baron Byng High School will not be forgotten and that the Spirit of Byng remains alive!