Rideau High School
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Rideau High School is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board high school in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada . It is located at 815 St. Laurent Boulevard in the east end of the city on the edge of Vanier. It is located next to the Queen Elizabeth elementary school. The school opened in 1958. It was the second of a series of ten high schools built by the school board to cope with rapidly rising attendance and the baby boom. The project generated some controversy as the Collegiate Board presented a plan that included an auditorium, double gym, and a cafeteria. The Ottawa Property Owners association objected to these as expensive and unneeded luxuries, and the mayor Charlotte Whitton agreed. The dispute delayed the construction of the school for some time.
The school was renovated in the early 1990s at the cost of several million dollars. It is a mixed stream school offering both advanced and general level courses. It is not considered to be one of the more academic Ottawa schools. The school also has a significant English as a Second Language program, with about 15% of the student population enrolled. Its specialization in ESL programs makes it one of the most multicultural schools in the city. Rideau also has a small French immersion program, which will no longer available starting in the 06-07 school year, and programs for special needs students. Rideau was designed to hold 1200 students. Today enrolment has fallen to about 700 students.
[edit] References
- Keith, Janet. The Collegiate Institute Board of Ottawa: A Short History, 1843-1969. Ottawa: Kent, 1969.
