Western Technical-Commercial School

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Official name Western Technical-Commercial School
Nickname Western Tech
Principal Audley Salmon
School board
(type)		 Toronto District School Board
(Public)
Grades 9-12
Schedule Type Two-Semester
Religious affiliation None
Founded 1927
Location 125 Evelyn Cres.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Enrollment 1,046
Mascot Colt
School colors Green and Black

Western Technical-Commercial School is a high school in the Bloor-West Village of Toronto. It shares the same building with Ursula Franklin Academy and The Student School. Originally two schools when it was opened, Western Technical and Western Commercial, the present school is now the product of the merger between the two schools. The main building was constructed in 1927, with the addition being constructed in 1967-1970.

Contents

[edit] Education

Western, commonly referred to as WTCS or Western Tech, offers courses from grade 9 through 12 in Applied, Academic, or Gifted/Enriched levels. There is also a "post graduate" year. The gifted/enriched department is one of many highlights, taken by students who have been identified as gifted or applied as enriched. The tech department has been part of the school since the beginning, and it accounts for much of the male population at the school which hover at around 70%.

[edit] Criticism

Most students disagree with many of the dress code policies which the school has adopted. They include wearing a lanyard in which a student photo identification card is attached. These policies are to prevent intruders from entering the school but are arguably ineffective as many students who forget or misplace their lanyards are sent home rather than actual intruders and many intruders who enter the school are not caught because many students do not wear their lanyards making intruders seem like any other student. However, the cards remain standard issue as administrators have not yet realised the inefectiveness of the lanyards.

Many schools in the TDSB have a reputation as having lower standards and expectations as others, Western being one of them. This would explain the 99.7% average that Gregory Chambers received.

As stated earlier, it is one of a handful of Toronto public schools to have a gifted/enriched program, but the program is considered to be not extensive enough by some as some specific courses are not offered widely enough in the senior grades and thus, students may have to take academic courses.

[edit] Trivia

  • Western also had the distinction of having the biggest building in the TDSB until Ursula Franklin Academy and The Student School moved in. However, the building (All three schools) still holds this distinction.
  • Former student Gregory Chambers graduated in 2005 with the distinction of having the highest average mark in the TDSB. His average was 99.7%.
  • Every February during exam break, gifted/enriched students run an event called "Fellowship" where students from feeder schools visit and take part in activities that showcase the program. The day consists of morning teacher-run activities. After that, lunch consists of a free pizza lunch with a Jeopardy game, which pitches schools against schools. After that, there are the student-run activities, and then to finish the day, a stock market activity. The average cost of Fellowship is about $600.

[edit] External links


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