Western Canada High School
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| Western Canada High School | |
 (Latin for: Understanding, Strength, Courage) |
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| Address | |
| 641 17 Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta, T2S 0B5, Canada |
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| Information | |
| School board | Calgary Board of Education |
| Principal | Kim Hackman |
| Funding type | Private (1903 - 1928, as Western Canada College) Public (since 1928) |
| Grades | 10-12 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Team name | Redmen |
| Established | 1903 |
| Enrollment | 1,964 (2009) |
| Grade 10 | 709 |
| Grade 11 | 668 |
| Grade 12 | 587 |
| Communities served | Mount Royal Mission, Cliff Bungalow, Connaught |
| Homepage | http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b816/ |
Western Canada High School (WCHS) is a public senior high school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It has classes for grades 10 through 12. Western is located in the 17th Avenue business district of the Mount Royal community, and is the most centrally located public high school in Calgary. WCHS is often noted as the premier school in Calgary, sending many of its students to top Canadian Universities and Ivy-Leagues. [1]
Contents |
[edit] History
The original school building was completed in 1903 as a British-style exclusive high school for boys called Western Canada College (not a college in the North American sense of the word). It was created by "The Western Canada College Bill of Incorporating Ordinance" enacted by the Government of the Northwest Territories, which Calgary was then a part of before the province of Alberta was created in 1905.[2]
The private school had financial problems and was sold to the Calgary Board of Education. The CBE renamed it, re-opened it as public school, and constructed additional buildings on the land. To raise funds for the new college, 5000 shares were sold for $10 each. Many of the original investors read like a "Who's Who" list for Alberta; Pat Burns, R. B. Bennett, A.E. Cross, William Pearce, A.C. Rutherford (who was premier at the time), and George Lane.
Western was Calgary's first composite high school, providing both technical and academic courses of study. The school has been substantially renovated and additions have been made to the building over the years. Linda Raasveldt became the first female principal of the school in 2002. Currently, the school is undergoing a series of renovations.
[edit] Academics
[edit] Special Programs
The school provides French and English language as a primary language instruction. In addition, it is one of a select number of schools in Calgary to offer French immersion. Western is one of a small number of Calgary high schools to offer an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme in English, and is the only Calgary public high school to offer the program in French. Each year, about 20-40 students graduate with an IB Diploma[citation needed], and significantly more graduate with an IB certificate.[citation needed] It is also the only school in Alberta to offer Higher Level mathematics. The school also offers an extensive performing and visual arts program, and offers a certificate to recognize students that have made fine arts a focus of learning at the high school level.
[edit] Athletics
The Western Redmen compete under the governance of the Alberta Schools Athletic Association [1] and Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association [2]
The school boasts teams in the following sports:
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Field Hockey
- American Football
- Rugby
- Football
- Swim and Dive
- Track and Field
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
[edit] Notable alumni
- Conrad Bain - Actor, known for his portrayal of Phillip Drummond on Different Strokes
- Barney Bentall - singer/songwriter: Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts
- Jim Dinning - Former Alberta treasurer [3]
- Daniel Philip Hays - Speaker of the Canadian Senate [4]
- Pat Kelly - Comedian, actor, and TV host.[5]
- Norman Kwong - Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta and the youngest athlete to be a member of a winning Grey Cup team in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a member of the Order of Canada. [6]
- Larry Robinson - Played with the Calgary Stampeders from 1961 to 1974, winning the Grey Cup in 1971. He was the first player in the CFL to score over 1,000 points in a career.[7][8]
- Kinnie Starr - Singer/songwriter who was nominated for the Juno Award for New Artist of the Year in 2004. [9]
- Taryn Swiatek - Former member of the Canada women's national soccer team which placed fourth in the FIFA Women's World Cup competition in 2003. [10]
- David E. Mitchell, O.C. - Founder of Alberta Energy Company which, along with PanCanadian Energy, merged to create EnCana Corporation.
- Daniel Okulitch, Operatic Bass-Baritone. Class of 1993. Starred in Baz Luhrmann's Broadway Production of La Boheme, and the World Premiere of The Fly (opera), by Howard Shore and Directed by David Cronenberg.
- Emerson Frostad, Olympic and professional baseball player.
- Tommy Chong, Comedian
- Jan Lisiecki, classical pianist
- Ryan Jenkins, reality TV star
[edit] See also
- St. Mary's High School - The only other high school in the nearby area. It also predates the province of Alberta, and it also has an IB program.
[edit] References
- ^ Student Population by Grade, School and Authority, Alberta (PDF). Alberta Education. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
- ^ WCHS historical timeline
- ^ Jim Dinning biography (personal web site)
- ^ Lau, Michael, "A century of schooling: Western Canada High School turns 100 in 2003 and alumni are planning a mega reunion complete with tunnel tours", Calgary Herald, September 28, 2000, pg. 2
- ^ Lewis, Jason (2004-09-09). "The doctor of love is in: Former Loose Moose improviser plays the ladies’ man in Intern Academy". FFWD Weekly. http://www.ffwdweekly.com/Issues/2004/0909/film3.htm. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
- ^ The Alberta Order of Excellence - Profile of Norman Kwong
- ^ "Top-Ten All-time players from Alberta (Football Alberta)", CANOE JAM! Sports
- ^ Stampeders player profile for Larry Robinson
- ^ Wilton, Lisa, "New Starr of hip-hop", CANOE JAM! Showbiz
- ^ Maxwell, Cameron, "Swiatek sets sights on China", Calgary Sun, Canadian Online Explorer, January 27, 2002.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Western Canada High School |
- Western Canada High School official site
- WCHS Alumni Association
- Western Canada College at the Calgary Public Library - Photo of the original building. (via Internet Archive)
