The Book of Remembrance recognizes the military service of the 1,012 Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute alumni, both women and men, who enlisted during the Second World War. It was created by W.A.E. Parrott.
By 1951, the original building was in poor condition and the third floor assembly hall was condemned. The older part of the school was destroyed by a fire in May of 1952. The vocational wing was repaired and the rest of the school was rebuilt on the same site, with a further addition completed in 1970. In 1997, construction began on a new site on 8th Street East, and this was opened in the autumn of 1999. At the end of the 2015-2016 school year, Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute was amalgamated with West Hill Secondary School to form Owen Sound District Secondary School while the physical building was converted into an elementary school (East Ridge Community School).
