Turner Fenton Secondary School
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| Turner Fenton Secondary School | |
|---|---|
| File:TFSS-south-Night.jpg | |
| Address | |
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7935 Kennedy Road South , , L6W 0A2 | |
| Information | |
| School type | high school |
| Founded | 1993 merger (1972, 1974) |
| School board | Peel District School Board |
| Superintendent | Scott Moreash |
| Area trustee | David Green Rick Williams |
| Principal | Bob Garton |
| Grades | 9-12+ |
| Enrollment | 2,578 (September 2010) |
| Language | English, Extended French |
| Colour(s) | Royal Blue, Black, White and Silver |
| Mascot | Trojans |
| Team name | Turner Fenton Trojans |
| Affiliation | Public |
| Website | http://www.turnerfenton.com/ |
Turner Fenton Secondary School is Peel Region's largest high school, located in Brampton, Ontario. The principal is Bob Garton. It operates under the Peel District School Board.
Feeder schools include Fletcher's Creek Sr. Public School and William G. Davis Sr. Public School.
Programs
Turner Fenton is a diverse school, even by Greater Toronto Area standards, due to the varied array of programs it offers. At least eleven educational programs are available:
- Special Basic Level Program
- Vocational, Basic Level Program
- Applied and college level course
- Academic, university and university/college-level programs
- International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
- English as a Second Language, English Learning Development
- Extended French
- Chef Training Program, dubbed "Recipe for Success", a dedicated hospitality/chef training program
- Store Front, an alternate work-based program
- Section 23, based out of the Cuthbert House (open Custody program for young male offenders) and Invictus (closed custody program for young female offenders, closed fall 2005)
- Grades 11 and 12 Regional Enhanced program (suspended in 2008)
The school also works with the William Osler Campus, a Peel Board facility for those admitted to hospital for terms longer than 14 days. Turner offers a Learning Strategies Course, and Specific Learning Disabilities services. A Regional Enhanced Program program ran at the school, until the end of the 2004-2005 school year. The school also offers a number of different beneficial programs, including an International Baccalaureate Program. Turner Fenton was the largest high school in Ontario as of 2006.
Sports, Clubs, and Traditions
Turner Fenton participates in Model UN events, in 2005 representing Cambodia and Kenya, and in 2006 representing The United States of America. In previous years, the school represented China, France, and Somalia. Turner Fenton consistently places high among Ontario schools for fundraising for the Terry Fox Run, although its totals are often eclipsed by one of its "feeder" schools, W.G. Davis Senior Public School, which, in 2005, raised over $23,000 from a school population of just over 550.
Due to its proximity to the recently constructed Powerade Centre, the OHL's Brampton Battalion hockey team members who have not yet completed high school are assigned to this school during the hockey season, returning to their home schools afterwards.
Athletic achievements
The Turner Fenton cross country team, has won twelve consecutive ROPSSAA championships in the "overall team" division. The badminton team has won a total of four medals in the 2005 season. The girls doubles team has won ROPSSAA gold in 2007 and in 2009 both the girls double and the girls single team won silver and gold respectively, hence making OFSAA. The boys Lacrosse team won the 2006 ROPSSAA championships and went on to appear the OFSAA finals in St. Catharines, Ontario. Also the boys Baseball Team and Soccer Team won 2006 ROPSSAA TIER II Championships. In 2006, The boys junior Cricket Team came runners up at ROPSSAA, losing to Woodlands Secondary School in a tightly fought match. During the Late 80's and early 90s, the Trojan football teams placed well in the Peel Gridiron. The school's archery team had also performed at high levels in both ROPSSAA and OFSAA tournaments winning first place on multiple occasions. The wrestling team has won 5 straight ROPSSAA overall titles. along with a few OFSAA placings. The team won the 2009 ROPSAA team titles (boy girls and overall) as well as the 2009 OFSAA Championships with the overall and boys title. The team had 3 gold medals, 1 silver, 1 4th place, and 2 5th place finishes.Several [[[NHL]]] hockey players have also attended Turner Fenton, including; Jason Spezza,
Music
Turner Fenton hosts an annual event, Trojanfest, assembling local aspiring bands in a one night performance for the school. Providing an event for aspiring bands, and venue for those who wish to see the acts, Trojanfest has become a Turner Fenton tradition. Other traditional events include Bistro Shows (hosted by the IAC) and Turner's Got Talent. The two events have spawned acts from numerous students of the school. The Integrated Arts Council also hosts the annual "Arts Banquet" which features performances from many of the musical and dramatic acts from around the school.
Culturefest
CultureFest is an annual event held at Turner Fenton Secondary School. The festival is entirely student-run and comprises live performances, educational booths and workshops, as well as a marketplace of international foods spread over two days and one community night. The festival has existed under a number of names over since its inception and was most recently stylized as "CultureFest," with a distinctive capitalization of the second component of the word.
Every year, CultureFest assumes a specific festival theme or focus. The latest incarnation was the "Five Continents, One Vision." theme for the 2007 festival, which took place on April 22, 2008 and April 23, 2008. Last year, CultureFest was profiled by several prominent media agencies, including the CBC, the Brampton Guardian, and Rogers Cable. A videorecording of CultureFest 2007 is available here OR here. A videorecording of CultureFest 2008 is available here.
Conferences
Throughout the school year, many students are actively involved in a variety of different leadership conferences. Turner Fenton student runs the annual START (Students: The Active Risk-Takers) conference, a 2-day event that takes place in November of each year, that is open to all Peel high school students. Moreover, the IB (International Baccalaureate) students of the school run the annual one-day Mentorship Conference (IBMC) in September of every year, introducing the new Grade 9 MYP (Middle Years Programme) students to the high school atmosphere. Turner Fenton students are also recognized for their high involvement in the Peel Student Presidents' Council, whether students are executives on the council itself or take part in the yearly leadership conference as delegates, security or leadership developers.
Before, the school also had major involvement within the SOAR (Suddenly/Student Opportunities are Reachable) conference, intended for middle school students around the area, until lack of teacher support lead to the cancellation.
Turner Fenton Robotics Team
Turner Fenton's active robotics team has participated in Canada and US FIRST competitions.
- 2001 - 17th place
- 2002 - 1st place, winner of the last SPAR Aerospace Award.
- 2003 - 13th place out of 26 teams, disqualified due to rule violation
- 2004 - 4th place out of 75 teams at US First Robotics, eliminated in the quarter finals
- 2009 - 2nd place in Ontario and winner of Most Innovative Design in the US FIRST Tech Challenge. Lost out on first place by not powering on the robot in the final.
History
Turner Fenton Secondary School is composed of two buildings, dubbed North Hall and South Hall. Until 1992, the two buildings were each schools in their own right, the North being J. A. Turner SS, and the South being W. J. Fenton SS. W. J. Fenton was the first of the two to open in 1972, built by Val Mitchell Construction. C.A. Smith built J. A. Turner Secondary in 1974. Both buildings were designed by architect Don E. Skinner Thughliphe.
The rooms of the "new" North Hall are numbered 100s and 200s on the first floor and second floor, respectively; the South Hall rooms are numbered 300s on the first floor and 400s on the second floor. The portables are 500s. Each faculty department generally has its own section of the school. English, Math, Science, Business/Tech, the Library and Main Administration are in the North building. History, Moderns (French and other language studies), Geography, Arts (Dramatic, Visual, Digital, Culinary and Cosmetic). Some exceptions do apply however: Music classes are located in the North Hall although part of an integrated Arts department. Similarly, Biology classes are in the South Building. Administrative offices are split between the two buildings, with certain Vice Principals and Guidance Counsellors located specifically in the South hall. The school also has two cafeterias, the North Hall cafeteria being the larger of the two. Additionally, as the South Hall was equipped to serve Culinary arts teaching, the cafeteria in the South Hall allows students to make/serve food.
Following the merger of the schools in 1992, the school was referred to officially on its main outdoor signage as 'Turner Fenton Secondary School,' however had also adopted a secondary brand name 'Turner Fenton Campus' used on school letterhead. In the early-2000s, the school board forced Turner Fenton to standardise its name, because the school had not filed the proper forms upon its creation in 1992.
Some other changes were also made to the already large school. On September 2007, construction workers had fenced off an area between north hall and south hall to extend the school. Construction was coming to an end by the end of the 2007-2008 school year and on September 2, the new section was opened to all staff and students. The school now has new lab rooms and English classrooms. As well, math teachers were upgraded to a newer and much larger office to accommodate all the teachers. The newer division also came with two new staircases and a beautiful large window from one of the staircases that looks onto the parking lot. In addition, trees and plants were also added to the parking lot and the side of the school to make it more appealing. This makes the school larger than before and almost impossible to see all your friends on your walk to class.
Radio Station
J.A. Turner Secondary School (present-day North Hall) previously housed a radio station in the projection room near the cafeteria. The room contained various alternative rock demo CDs and tapes, some of which were marked with the call letters CFNY-FM, which refer to Toronto's Edge 102 radio station.
In the 1980s the radio station was called RAT, Radio Active Turner. The play list was primarily alternative, sharing many songs with CFNY. There are frequent concerns within the faculty over the lyrics.