Saunders Secondary School

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Saunders Secondary School
Address
941 Viscount Road
London, Ontario, Canada
Information
School board Thames Valley District School Board
Superintendent Ms. Marion Moynihan
Principal Ms. Diana Rajala
Vice principal Ms. Katrin Gauer, Mr. Dennis Lunau, Mr. Paul Sydor
Campus Urban
Mascot Sabre Tooth Tiger
Colours Gold and Red
Established 1972
Enrollment 1950[1] (January 26th 2008)
Homepage http://www.tvdsb.on.ca/saunders/index.html

Saunders Secondary School is located at 941 Viscount Road in the Westmount suburb of London, Ontario, Canada. It is named after William Saunders and his family. William Saunders was a Canadian pioneer and an authority on all matters pertaining to agriculture and horticulture. Grades offered are 9–12. Saunders' school colours are red and gold and its mascot is a sabre-tooth tiger. Saunders Secondary School is the largest high school in the Thames Valley District School Board, with over 2000 students and 120 teachers. Saunders is also the site scheduled to host new credit summer school in July of 2008.

Contents

[edit] History

Construction of Saunders was completed in 1972. The school cost more than $8 million to build. The location caused many heated debates. The people of Byron, Ontario had been promised, upon amalgamation with the city of London, Ontario, a secondary school in their area so that their children would not have to be bused to the Westmount area. The chosen site for the multi-million dollar school - right in the heart of the Westmount area, across the street from the Westmount Mall - greatly angered the Byron Area Secondary School Association. In spite of this, in January 1969, the London Board of Education approved the Westmount location for the school.

On April 18, 1994, arsonists set fire to Saunders forcing the evacuation and temporary closure of the school [1], as well as an extensive rebuilding of the rear part of the building. London Police subsequently charged three students with setting the blaze.

Saunders is currently undergoing an exterior renovation.

[edit] Sports

The senior boys' volleyball team won both TVRAA and OFSAA in AAAA for the fourth straight year in 2007, the only team in Ontario history to accomplish this feat.

The Saunders junior football team won the city championships in 2007 for the first time in ten years.

Nigel Wilson who teaches at Saunders is also a volunteer coach at the University of Western Ontario. In 2007 he received the Gino Fracas Award for Most Outstanding Volunteer Assistant Coach in Canadian University Football.[2]

[edit] Cancer Campaign

Saunders' annual Cancer Campaign has raised almost a quarter of a million dollars in the past five years, more than any other school in Canada. The total for the 2008 Cancer Campaign was $60 000.

[edit] Notable alumni and staff

Notable alumni and staff include:

[edit] References

[edit] External links