Mount Douglas Secondary School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mount Douglas Secondary School
Motto

Nulla Praemia Sine Opera (Latin for "No Reward without Effort")
Address

3970 Gordon Head Road Satellite image
Town

Saanich, BC
Established

1939
Community

Suburban
Type

Public Secondary
Religious Affiliation

None
Students

Co-educational
Enrollment

1,000+
Principals

Dr. John Fawcett, Mr. Rob House (currently replaced by Mr. Rick Griffin), Mr. Paul Thomas
Grades

9 to 12
Parent Advisory Council

RAMPAC
District

School District 61 Greater Victoria
Colors

Purple and Gold
Newspaper

The Ramble
Mascot

Rambo the Ram
Nickname(s)

MDSS, Mount Doug, MD, the Rams
Coffee Shop

Rambucks
Website

Link
This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality.
Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page. (December 2007)

Mount Douglas Secondary School is a traditional four-year public secondary school located in Saanich, British Columbia, Canada, and serving the Greater Victoria School District. Its common local nickname is "Mount Doug." With a student body of around eleven hundred, Mount Doug is considered an average-sized high school for greater Victoria.

Academically, Mount Doug is consistently ranked as one of the top fifty public schools across the nation. The school is best known for its sports teams -- especially the Varsity Football team, which annually underachieves. In fact, they have never won a championship. Due to the short distance between the Greater Victoria area and Western Washington, the Junior Varsity and Varsity football teams often travel south to the United States to compete against more teams that offer stronger competition.

On the flip side, the senior boys soccer team has enjoyed considerable success since the establishment of the school. This team has won multiple AAA provincial titles, and has come close on numerous other occasions.

The current Mount Doug building is in desperate need of expansion and renovation, as well as seismic upgrades for safety. A new fine arts wing, auditorium and cafeteria have been proposed, and construction is scheduled to begin in 2008.

Contents

[edit] History

First founded in 1939, Mount Doug has moved buildings over the years, starting first at the current Cedar Hill Middle School Campus. In 1970, MD received a brand new building to accommodate its increasing student body. This building is still in use today, but seven portable classrooms are also attached to the school and it is still in need of an expansion. In 2003, the school changed from a Senior Secondary model, teaching grades 11 and 12, to the current 9 to 12 structure. Is rated as the top public secondary school in British Columbia.

[edit] Academic programs

Mount Doug plays host campus to the district's Challenge program, which offer a select group of students the opportunity to challenge themselves with additional academic work and increased difficulty in normal schoolwork. MD also runs optional Honors and AP programs in addition to the Challenge program.

There are 81 full-time teachers employed at MD. The school day starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m., with early out at 1:45 p.m. on Fridays. Each class is 80 minutes long and there are four blocks per day. A full timetable would consist of eight 80-minute classes over two semesters each year. The first semester runs from September to the end of January and the second runs from February to June. For variety, the two morning blocks and the two afternoon blocks each semester 'flip' every other day (i.e. Monday/Wednesday/Friday blocks are AB CD, while Tuesday/Thursday blocks are BA DC).

[edit] Athletic programs

The athletic teams are the "Mount Doug Rams" and the school's main rivals are the "Lambrick Park Lions."

Note: This list does not include sports which are currently clubs and thus not officially recognized in the BC Inter-Scholastic Athletics Program. These "club" sports include mountain biking, skiing, chess, the school newspaper, yearbook, choir, jazz band, drama club, debate team, improv team and the math club.

[edit] Varsity athletics

[edit] Junior Varsity athletics

[edit] Facilities and resources

[edit] Sports

  • Indoor gym
  • Access to university swimming pool and turf
  • Football field
  • Access to all-weather track
  • Weight training facilities
  • Baseball field
  • Soccer field

[edit] Arts

  • Dance classroom
  • Darkroom
  • Digital media
  • Computer Drafting (CAD) Lab
  • Drama Annex

[edit] Vocational shops

  • Auto shop
  • Wood shop
  • Small engine shop

[edit] Other

  • Library
  • Career Center
  • Post Secondary Opportunity Center (includes scholarship information)
  • Photography laboratory with darkroom
  • 4 computer laboratories
  • Leadership office

[edit] Famous alumni

[edit] External links