Old Scona Academic High School

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Old Scona Academic High School
Address
10523 - 84 Avenue NW
Edmonton, Alberta, T6E 2H5, Canada
Information
Principal Dr. L. Yaniw
School type Public secondary
Grades 10-12
Language English
Motto Always to Excel
Team name Olympians
Colours Maroon, Green, and Gold
Founded 1976
Enrollment 330
Homepage http://oldscona.epsb.ca

Old Scona Academic High School, often referred as Old Scona or OSA, is a high school located in the Old Strathcona district of Edmonton, Alberta. It is a small academic high school with a population of approximately 330 students. The school's stated purpose is to provide academically inclined students an opportunity to grow in an environment of intellectual stimulation.

Contents

[edit] History

The building housing Old Scona Academic was opened as the Strathcona Collegiate Institute in 1908. The lower floor contained one of the first high schools in Alberta, while the upper floor was used by the University of Alberta. When Strathcona Composite High School opened in 1955, the structure was converted into a junior high school. In 1976, the Board of Trustees of Edmonton Public Schools opted to relaunch the school as Old Scona Academic High School, an academic alternative high school. The City of Edmonton recognizes OSA as a historical site, preventing proposed modifications to the building, including the addition of classrooms, washrooms, and a gymnasium.

[edit] Admission

The 110 students who enter OSA each year are chosen on the basis of set criteria from an excess of applicants. Prospective students are evaluated using a written general cognitive abilities test (Standardized Admission Exam), in addition to grade 9 marks and a character assessment from a Junior High counselor or principal. Only applications from students with an overall average of 80% and suitable credit in French courses are considered.

[edit] Programs of Study

OSA offers the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) Diploma Program in addition to fulfilling the Alberta education curriculum. Students begin grade ten enrolled in a pre-I.B. program. During this year, students must elect to either pursue the full I.B. program, a partial I.B. program, or the basic Alberta education program. Most OSA students enroll in partial I.B., with approximately fifteen students opting for the full program. Because OSA is a small school, it has a limited selection of elective classes; these include choral music, instrumental music, jazz band, performing arts, drama, debate, art, computer applications, and computer programming.


[edit] Reputation and results

Old Scona Academic is recognized as one of the best high schools in Canada and one of the top I.B. schools in the world. In 2005, Maclean's Magazine named OSA as the top academic high school in Canada [1]. In addition to its Maclean's ranking, OSA has consistently been ranked by the Fraser Institute as the best high school in Alberta [2]. 97% of OSA students are on the honour roll and over 99% go on to university, on average. OSA students have a tradition of exceeding world average scores on I.B. examinations, having achieved an average of 5.61 in 2005, compared with a world average of 4.57.[citation needed]

[edit] Extracurricular activities

Numerous student-run clubs are available at OSA including the Multicultural Club, Football Club, Badminton Club, Tennis Club, Soccer Club, OSAnime, Debate Club, Environment Club, the OSA Crier and Chess Club. Recently added clubs include the Outdoor Walking and Fitness Club, Knitting Club, the Festivus Club, the Star Wars Club, the Dance Club, the D.A. (Harry Potter Club) and the Ballet Club. The newest addition to this series of club is the Centennial Magazine Club. Students participating this club write articles for the magazine that will be published in the Centennial celebration in 2008-2009 school year. Students also run a school store called "Mitochondrion" in the student lounge.

Old Scona has made a strong reputation particularly in the area of speech & debate. Old Scona teams have made it into the finals of the prestigious Sir Winston Churchill Speech & Debate Competition from 2005 to 2008. In 2005 and 2006, teams have secured the Billington Cup after defeating the top team Churchill team from Calgary. In Speech and Debate Regionals, Old Scona has sent numerous teams to the Provincial Championships, often winning top speaker and team awards at these respective tournaments.

[edit] Athletics

In the 2006-07 season, the men's soccer team went undefeated the entire season, beating other schools with very high scores (for example LY Cairns 12 - 0). They were only defeated during city conferences due to the absence of key players due to IB exams.

During the 2006-2007 City Finals, the swim team, despite fielding a small team, achieved fourth place overall. The senior men's basketball team for the 2006-2007 season ended 4th in city conference. The team for the 2007-2008 season is prospected to be dominant in the city conference, with 10 returning players from the last season. Furthermore, the OSA Badminton Team, for the past few years, has repeatedly made it to the City Finals, losing only in the semi final match.

The 2007-2008 senior men's basketball team ranked 3rd in the John Paul II Patriots Tournament and the Canmore Tournament. They entered the playoffs as the seventh seed, and defeated the 2nd seeded Eastglen senior men's team by 1 point in the quarter finals, but were ultimately defeated in the semifinals by Spruce Grove Composite High School.

Soccer City Champions

  • 1988-89 (Junior Men)
  • 1994-95 (Junior Men)
  • 1995-96 (Junior Men)
  • 2005-06 (Senior Men Tier 2)

Volleyball City Champions

  • 2003-2004 (Junior Women)

Basketball City Champions

  • 2003-2004 (Junior Men)