| Pierrefonds Comprehensive High School | |
| To Strive To Seek To Find | |
| Address | |
| 13800 Pierrefonds Blvd Pierrefonds, Quebec, H9A 1A7, Canada |
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| Information | |
| School board | Lester B. Pearson School Board |
| Principal | Cristina Prata |
| Vice principal | Michael Rabinovich and Jennifer Bray Le Gallais |
| School type | Public Middle and High School |
| Grades | Secondary 1 to 5[1] |
| Language | English |
| Mascot | Trogan Horse |
| Team name | Trojans |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Enrolment | 1189 |
| Homepage | http://pchs.lbpsb.qc.ca/ |
Pierrefonds Comprehensive High School (PCHS) is a non-denominational, English speaking educational facility located in Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada with an enrolment of approximately 1,200 students, in grades 7 through 11. It operates within the Lester B. Pearson School Board and has functioned as a secondary school since 1971. The principal of the school is Ms. Cristina Prata.
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PCHS began as an academic and vocational high school for both English and French speaking Catholic students to accommodate West Island population expansion at the beginning of the 1970s. Prior to its opening in 1971, other established schools like Saint Thomas High School, located in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, were doubling their enrolment to help the community cope. Originally conceived under the proposed name of Villa Nova, it opened as Polyvalente de Pierrefonds Comprehensive High School, to better reflect its multi-disciplined approach. In 1977 it ceded half its population when French speaking students moved to the new Polyvalente des Sources high school, located nearby. PCHS remained a Catholic school until 1998, when Quebec's Catholic and Protestant school boards were replaced with a secular, lingustically based system.
In 1994 it began its International Baccalaureate program which continues to this day, and in 1995 undertook a campaign to amend its name, although a strategic focus group decided to keep the name "comprehensive" to reflect both the wide variety of programs and services offered and the commitment to meeting all student needs.[2] In 2001 it celebrated its 30th anniversary and honoured four teachers for their long standing and exceptional educational service and dedication to the school.
Architecture
PCHS was built as an "open-concept" over a "reflected plan", meaning that one side mirrors the other, along an axial core. It features a large cafeteria at the center and a gigantic gymnasium, or "field house", at the south end, which is connected by a tunnel. Designed by a California architect, as recommended by the school's first principal Mr. John Oss,[3] it employed industrial visual cues like unfinished concrete walls, exposed ceiling pipes and ducts that were painted primary red, blue and yellow enamel, and small windows that did not open. Walls between ajoining classrooms could be moved to allow for team teaching of up to 4 classes at a time. This was only used in the early years for English Literature classes. Stylistically it was considered radical for an educational institution at the time, particularly due to the fact that the classrooms had no doors, an experiment that resulted in students sometimes being distracted by people passing by in the halls. The school was still being finished when classes began in the fall of 1971.
Besides its International Baccalaureate program, PCHS participates in an aggressive immersion program, an English program and a Handicapped program. In sports it is a member of the GMAA (Greater Montreal Athletic Association) and is represented by the "Trojans'" who are the Male Athletes and the "Lady Trojans" who are the Female athletes. It has a wide variety of sports for different kinds of interest such as touch football, soccer (indoor/outdoor), track and field (indoor/outdoor), track and field, rugby, softball, volleyball, swimming, golf, badminton, tennis etc. P.C.H.S also has a track and field team for the indoor and outdoor seasons'. One of their coaches is Hank Palmer (Canadien Olympian).
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