Westisle Composite High School

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Westisle Composite High School
Address
39570 Western Rd – Route 2
O'Leary, Prince Edward Island, C0B 1K0, Canada
Information
School number N/A
School board Western School Board
Religious affiliation none
Principal Charles Murphy (2005–present)
Vice principal Trevor Wood (2005–present)
Shawn O'Halloran (2007-present)
School type High school
Grades 10–12
Language English (select French courses available)
Enrollment 700+
Homepage http://www.edu.pe.ca/westisle/

Westisle Composite High School is a Canadian secondary school in Prince County, Prince Edward Island.

Established in 1976[1], Westisle provides education for 10th to 12th grade students in the western part of the county. The school is administratively part of the Western School Board, and as of 2007 has an estimated student population of approximately 1,000. Westisle receives its students from two separate intermediate schools, Merritt E. Callaghan Intermediate School and Hernewood Intermediate School.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Planning

In the late 1960s, the Government of Prince Edward Island embarked upon a joint project with the federal government known as the PEI Economic and Social Development Plan. One phase of the plan focused on education and called for a reorganization of the system. The first step was the establishment of five planning boards of 15 members each. After several meetings, the planning board reached the decision to reorganize the school system of western Prince County into six elementary schools, two junior high schools, and a senior high school.

In 1976, Westisle Composite High School was built at the expense of discontinuing more localized secondary education that was taking place at Tignish High, Alberton High, O'Leary High, and Ellerslie High schools. The decision was made to merge all of these former schools into one by then-Minister of Education, Bennett Campbell[1]. Though some were against the initial change, many now feel it was an appropriate move.

[edit] Opening of the school

The official opening of the school was held on November 2, 1979. The first principal was Frank Mugglestone. The vice-principals were Lorne MacDougald and Richard Roberts (the school continues to employ two vice principals). There was a teaching staff of forty-two, two secretaries, and a custodial staff of nine members. The school's namesake, Westisle, is derived from the school being located in the Westernmost portion of Prince Edward Island.

[edit] Holland College

In the beginning, Holland College began to use the school to offer programs such as electronics, cosmetology, office studies, and a "Leadership Institute" to its students in the western part of Prince County. The courses at Westisle were offered on an extension basis using personnel and resources from the college's Summerside-area campuses. Night classes began in January 1980 and continued until 1997 when the college ceased use of the school, requiring community college students from the area to commute to campuses in Charlottetown or Summerside.

[edit] Miscellaneous

Students from as east as Tyne Valley attend the school, as well as students from more northern communities such as Tignish. Within the school is a theater for the performing arts. It is used as a teaching station for theater arts, bands, music, team-teaching activities, assemblies, and ausiovisual presentations. The school provides facilities and resources for a wide range of academic courses at several levels of difficulty as well as pre-apprenticeship and pre-employment vocational programs.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

The school offers many sport activities, such as:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b M.E. Callaghan Intermediate school website

[edit] External links