| Henderson Avenue Public School | |
| Address | |
| 66 Henderson Avenue Thornhill, Ontario, Canada |
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| Information | |
| School board | York Region District School Board |
| Superintendent | Helen Fox |
| Area trustee | Joel Hertz |
| Principal | Dina Fabian |
| School type | Public Elementary school |
| Grades | JK-8 |
| Language | English |
| Area | Thornhill |
| Mascot | Hawk |
| Team name | Henderson Hawks |
| Colours | Maroon, White |
| Founded | 1954, Rebuilt 2000 |
| Enrolment | 403 (September 2007) |
| Communities served | Grandview |
Henderson Avenue Public School in Thornhill, Ontario was built in 1952 and opened on October 20, 1953. From 1953-1961, the school consisted of a hall and 7 classrooms. In 1962, the school had 13 rooms added to it, bringing it to a total of 20 classrooms. The school stood until July 16, 1998. The school was being renovated when fire broke out in the South Hall and burned down the whole school with nothing left but a stained glass window and a few bricks.
The rest of the school had been left with nothing but the burnt steel frame in a few cases. Eventually, the school was rebuilt with funding from the York Region District School Board, the local newspaper and parents living near the school. The new school consisted of 15 classrooms, a gym and a library; this building was built in a U shape and opened on March 23, 2000. 500 bricks were taken from the wreckage and have been built into a wall across from the office with a commemoration to the fire and old building. The students at the school finished moving back in from Bayview Fairways P.S. and Bayview Glen P.S. the following week. Today, the school houses 18 classes in 16 classrooms and 3 portables (Music, 4/5, and 3/4) from Kindergarten to Grade 8 including 5 gifted classes. The school is currently located at 66 Henderson Avenue and is served by the YRT Bus Routes 2 as well as the TTC routes 53, 60, 97, 98, Viva Blue, Viva Pink, and the YRT Routes 1, 5, 23, 77, 88, 91 and 99 all within a 15-minute walk.
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On Sept.2, 1987 days before school was to start, Henderson Avenue's much loved Principal and rising star Bruce Miller was killed in a motorcycle accident, it was his daughter's 15th birthday, he was 38 years old. Staff and students planted a tree in memory of Mr. Miller with a plaque that reads "Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see". Mr. Miller's widow and three children took part in the ceremony. Each of the schools in the York Region District School Board flew their flags at half mast on the first day of school in memory of him. Both the tree and plaque survived the fire of 1998 and were relocated when the rebuild was completed.
In 1989, a suspicious fire occurred within the school. An investigation led to a garbage can being ignited in an act of arson.
In 1994, when Henderson celebrated its 40th Anniversary of the school opening, 2 students dug a "time capsule" into the ground. Days later a dog found it and the dog's owner confused the capsule for a bomb.
It is known that this incident of the supposed "bomb threat", originated when a grade 6 french class created their time capsule which consisted of all french. After the bomb squad had dug up the capsule which was buried behind the forest of the school, they found the source of the humming inside the capsule making nearby residents and civilians believe there was a bomb threat was a completely harmless electric device.
In 1998, one of Thornhill's largest fires occurred when the roof of the school was being pulled off due to asbestos. As the roof was being pulled off, a spark was ignited and the school began to fume. The school burned to the ground after 10 hours and was rebuilt while HAPS was housed at Bayview Fairways Public School and Bayview Glen Public School. The school officially reopened in 2000.
Henderson Avenue Public School is the current gifted program school for the Central Thornhill/Southern Richmond Hill area of York Region. Every year in York Region, 10,000 students go through the Gifted Test and the best 1,500 move on to a second stage. Out of the second stage, 250 students are selected to enter the GSPO (Gifted Student's Program of Ontario) in one of the 10 schools that have the gifted program or the 1-day/week program (Pr.I.D.E.) at Silver Stream Public School (south) or Lake Wilcox Public School (north).
At Henderson Avenue PS, most students ride buses. The Bus and the regions that they serve are:
For a short time the mascot The Henderson Hawk was replaced by the Henderson Hornet, but later reverted back.
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