Western Canada High School
From Freepedia
| Official name | Western Canada High School |
| Principal | Linda Raasveldt |
| School type | Public (since 1926) |
| Operated by | Calgary Board of Education |
| Location | 641 - 17 Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Grades | 10-12 |
| Religious affiliation | None (since 1926) |
| Area of city | Area IV |
| City ward | 8 |
| Privately founded Made public | 1903 (Western Canada College) 1926 (Western Canada High School) |
| Enrollment (2004) | 2,019 |
Western Canada High School 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 thus the most centrally located public high school in Calgary.
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History
The original school building was completed in 1903 as a British-style exclusive high school for boys, known as 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" passed by the North West Territories, which Calgary was then apart of before the province of Alberta was created in 1905.
The private school had financial problems and was sold to the Calgary Board of Education, which gave it the present name, re-opened it as public school, and constructed additional buildings on the land.
Western was Calgary's first composite high school, providing both technical and academic courses of study. Since then, substantial renovations and additions have been done at various times. Linda Raasveldt became the first female principal of the school in 2002.
Special programs
The school provides French and Spanish language instruction, as a second language. In addition, it is one of select number of schools in Calgary to offer French immersion, whereas most other Alberta schools only provide instruction in French as a second language. Western is one of a small number of Calgary high schools to offers an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, which is offered in English and French.
Notable alumni
- Jim Dinning - Former Alberta treasurer (Source: Calgary Herald, September 28, 2000)
- Daniel Philip Hays - Speaker of the Canadian Senate (Source: Calgary Herald, September 28, 2000)
- Norman Kwong - He is Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta and was the youngest person to win a Grey Cup in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a member of the Order of Canada. [1]
- 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 season.[2][3]
- Kinnie Starr - A singer/songwriter who was nominated for the Juno Award for New Artist of the Year in 2004. [4]
- Taryn Swiatek - Was a member of the Canada women's national soccer team, which placed fourth in the FIFA Women's World Cup competition in 2003.
References
- WCHS historical timeline
- "A century of schooling: Western Canada High School turns 100 in 2003 and alumni are planning a mega reunion complete with tunnel tours" (September 28, 2000), Michael Lau, Calgary Herald, pg. 2
External links
Categories: High schools in Alberta | Schools established in the 1900s | International Baccalaureate schools
