Victoria High School (British Columbia)

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Victoria High School
Palma non sine pulvere No reward without effort
Address
1260 Grant St Victoria, British Columbia, V8T 1C2, Canada
Information
School number	6161018
School board	School District 61 Greater Victoria
Principal	Mr. Stephen Bennett
Staff	60
School type	Public high school
Grades	9-12
Campus	Urban
Colours	Black and Gold
Founded	1876
Enrollment	996 (16 January 2006)
Homepage	http://vichigh.sd61.bc.ca/

Victoria High School is a high school located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is the oldest high school in the province, and is often cited as "the oldest public high school north of San Francisco and west of Winnipeg."

[edit] History

The school opened on August 7, 1876 in a log cabin with two classrooms. This same cabin had been the first common (or public) school in British Columbia when it was used as a primary school starting in 1853. It was located on the grounds of the current Central Middle School building. In 1882, the high school moved to a new building, later known as Boys' Central School, and due to continued growth, in 1902 a third Victoria High School was opened.

Vic High

In 1903, Victoria College (the precursor to the University of Victoria) started as an annex to the high school.

On May 1, 1914, the fourth Victoria High was opened at the new location, Grant and Camosun, with Victoria College on the top floor. When the University of British Columbia opened, Victoria College suspended operation until 1920 and when it reopened at nearby Craigdarroch Castle.

When the province renamed all of the high schools "Secondary School", Victoria High School was the only school to retain High School as part of its name.

Central Junior Secondary continued as a Junior High School (grades 8-10) and as of 2002, a middle school offering French immersion (grades 6-8), and refers to itself as the oldest public school in British Columbia.

Peter L. Smith, himself a graduate of the school and son of Henry L. Smith, longtime principal of Vic High (1934-1955), wrote a history of the school to mark its centennial celebrations in 1976: Come Give a Cheer: One Hundred Years of Victoria High School.

Former Principals: Keith McCallion 1989-1994 Dennis Harrigan 1994-2002 Keith Forshaw 2002-2006 Stephen Bennett 2006-?