Earl Haig Secondary School

Earl Haig Secondary School
Carpe Diem "Seize the day"
Address
100 Princess Ave North York, Ontario, M2N 3R7, Canada
Information
School number	906450
School board	Toronto District School Board
Superintendent	Sue Pfeffer
Area trustee	Mari Rutka
Principal	Renata Gonsalves
School type	Public High school
Grades	9-12
Language	English
Area	Toronto
Mascot	Carp
Colours	Blue and White
Founded	1929
Enrolment	2,300
Homepage	http://earlhaig.ca

Earl Haig Secondary School is a public high school with a student body of about 2,300 students in Willowdale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school's principal is Renata Gonsalves.

History

The school's namepiece from the original building.

The school is named after Field Marshal The 1st Earl Haig, who was the controversial commander of the British Expeditionary Force during the majority of the First World War. The school was established in 1928, shortly after the Earl Haig's death.

The original school was designed by the Toronto architectural firm of Craig and Madill and construction started in November 1929. The building officially opened in 1930 as Earl Haig Collegiate Institute. Additions continued through the 1940s, 50s and 60s. In 1961, the school changed its name from Earl Haig Collegiate Institute to Earl Haig Secondary School.

In 1996, the original building was demolished in sections to make way for a new building. This new building was designed around the original auditorium, Cringan Hall. Carruthers Shaw and Partners Limited, the same company that designed buildings at Queen's University and Upper Canada College, designed the new building and Bondfield Construction were contracted to build the school. The new 310,000 sq ft (29,000 m²) building was officially opened in September 1997 at a cost of CAD$30,800,000.

School (Grades 9 to 12)

Earl Haig Secondary School is the largest high school in Toronto^{[citation needed]} and one of the largest public high schools in Canada.^{[citation needed]} As a result, it is home to a diverse range of student-run clubs and groups. The school is well known for the Claude Watson Arts Program, a selective program for artistically accomplished students. It is divided into the following five areas of art: Dance, Drama, Music, Screen Arts and Visual Arts.

School Song

Earl Haig! Alma Mater!
We raise your banners far and wide
Earl Haig! Every son and daughter
Sings your praise and hails your
Name with pride
Carpe Diem! We're going to seize the day today
Carpe Diem! We're aiming high! High! High!
Earl Haig! School of happy memories
Blue and White we'll proudly fly
Carpe! Carpe! Carpe! Diem! Diem! Diem!

Collegiate and Claude Watson Arts Program

Earl Haig Secondary School has two related but distinct programs. The Collegiate Program offers high-quality^{[citation needed]} academic programming for students living in the Earl Haig Community. Students choose from a variety of academic, arts and technical courses. All able students are encouraged to take advantages of the enrichment program and to participate in various co-curricular activities and leadership opportunities.^{[citation needed]}

The Claude Watson Arts Program offers an enriched art education for students with a demonstrated talent in Dance, Drama, Music, Screen Arts and Visual Arts. The newest art program in Claude Watson is Screen Arts and has been very successful and producing many productions for students.^{[citation needed]}

Extracurricular activities

Earl Haig earned the Maclean's Magazine, August 2004, Canada's Best Schools designation for best school in Canada for its clubs, teams and extracurricular activities. As of April 19, 2010, there are currently 92 clubs/councils. One of Earl Haig's clubs is Carpanatomy, the student newspaper. The paper's bi-annual issues have been critically panned by staff and students alike.

In 2010 the Drama Department was nominated for its outstanding program by Professor Matt Gray of the School of Drama, Carnegie Mellon University. This nomination resulted in Earl Haig being selected by AHSTF from over 2000 nominations to be one of only forty high schools from across North America to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2011. The company of 17 students and two teachers formed a troupe called Hi La Rage Productions and created an original postmodern Canadian drama inspired by the Ipperwash Inquiry and the Toronto riots in 2010. "The Dreamcatchers" premiered at a benefit performance in Cringan Hall on May 5, 2011 and opened at Church Hill Theatre in Edinburgh on August 19, 2011. Earl Haig is the first high school ever from Toronto to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Provincial Assessment

Outside Cringan Hall.

In 2004-2005:

• 17 percent of Earl Haig students scored level 4 (equivalent to 80% or above) in EQAO Math Assessment (only 6% of all students in Ontario achieved this standard).

• 83 percent of Earl Haig students scored level 3 or above (equivalent to 70% or above) in EQAO Math Assessment (only 68% of Ontario students achieved it)

• 90 percent of Earl Haig students passed the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, which is one of the requirements for achieving the high school diploma, compared at 76% of students from the Toronto District School Board.

International Olympiads

Between 1990-1999, seven Earl Haig students represented Canada to participate in the International Olympiads in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, the fourth highest in Ontario.^{[citation needed]}

The school's circular stairway on the left

Notable alumni

• Daniel Nestor, Serbian Canadian tennis player (b.1972)
• Deborah Cox, Canadian singer and actress (b.1974)
• Scott Speedman, Canadian actor (b.1975)
• Danielle Hampton, Canadian actress (b.1978)
• Sarah Polley, Canadian actress (b.1979)
• Christopher Jacot, Canadian actor (b.1979)
• David Alpay, Canadian actor (b.1980)
• Ephraim Ellis, Canadian actor (b.1985)
• Sabrina Jalees, Canadian TV personality (b.1985)
• Jake Epstein, Canadian actor and singer (b.1987)
• Justin Kelly, Canadian actor (b.1992)
• Melanie Leishman, Canadian actress (b.1989)
• Michelle Monkhouse, Canadian fashion model (b.1991, d.2011)
• Miranda Kwok, Canadian screenwriter
• Luke Mochrie, Son of Canadian comedian Colin Mochrie and contributor for Channel Awesome
• Lara Smythe, Canadian Dancer (b.1986) featured on So You Think You Can Dance Canada
• Kelvin Kwan, Hong Kong singer (b. 1983)
• Jason Chan, Hong Kong singer (b. 1983)

External links

• Earl Haig SS Website
• Student Activity Council Site
• Carpanatomy Site
• ZOOM Film Festival
• Earl Haig Alumni Database
• Excel Ability information
• http://www.bondfield.com/schools/earlhaig.html
• http://www.csparch.com/