| Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School | |
| Pro Virili Parte (Latin) To the Best of One's Ability |
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| Address | |
| 7055 Heather Street Vancouver, British Columbia, V6P 3P7, Canada |
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| Information | |
| School number | 3939015 |
| School board | School District 39 Vancouver |
| Religious affiliation | none |
| Superintendent | Gary Little |
| Area trustee | Don Lee |
| Principal | Jack Bailey |
| Vice Principals | Leann Buteau Aaron Davis John Hunter |
| School type | Public Secondary school |
| Grades | 8-12 |
| Language | English, French Immersion |
| Area | Marpole |
| Mascot | Bulldog |
| Colours | Red, Blue and White |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Enrolment | 2114[1] (September 2009) |
| Homepage | churchill.vsb.bc.ca |
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School is a public secondary school located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Churchill Secondary is one of two International Baccalaureate schools (along with Britannia Secondary School) and one of three French Immersion secondary schools in Vancouver. It is named after the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill.
Churchill is fed by the surrounding elementary schools in its catchment area. They include Sir Wilfrid Laurier Elementary School, Dr. Annie B. Jamieson Elementary School, Sir William Osler Elementary School, J.W. Sexsmith Elementary School, and David Lloyd George Elementary School. Although not within Churchill's catchment area, L'École Bilingue, L'École Quilchena and Sir James Douglas Elementary School feed into its French Immersion Program.
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Churchill Secondary is known for its long standing International Baccalaureate Programme, which attracts students from all over the school district to apply. However, admission into the IB Porgramme at Churchill Secondary is very competitive. In addition, Churchill's IB Programme is known for its challenging curriculum and rigorous gradings. Churchill Secondary also offers the IB Certificate Programme, which allows students in the regular BC provincial curriculum to take part in IB courses. This option is only open when there is a vacancy in that particular class. IB courses offered at Churchill include English, French, Japanese, Mandarin, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, Art, Psychology, Film Studies, Theatre, Mathematics, and Theory of Knowledge. French Immersion students entering the IB Programme may opt to take a more advanced French course, allowing them to earn a BC French Dogwood Diploma and a bilingual IB diploma simultaneously. There is also a Pre-IB pogramme in grade 10, and an informal programme similar to the Middle Years Programme known as Synergy for grades 8-9. The IB program provides a challenging and globally accepted curriculum for all its students.
Information sessions are held each year, usually in November, by the school for prospective IB students. Entry into the program requires a written application, previous academic performance record, standardized testing (PSAT), and an interview. Testing and interviews will take place during mid January. Pre-IB students are automatically considered for the IB program, although they are not guaranteed acceptance into the full diploma program. Teacher interviews are held concerning each Pre-IB student to determine entry.
The program prepares students for post-secondary studies and a high percentage of Churchill's IB graduates go on to the University of British Columbia. Because the IB programme is recognized internationally, it is advantageous for students looking to study abroad.
Ideal Mini School is a grade 8–12 mini school program. It is generally accepted as the "steward school" of Sir Winston Churchill Secondary, although it is run independently under the leadership of head teacher Jim King.
Secondary French Immersion is for students continuing on from elementary French Immersion. Students can receive a Bilingual Graduation Certificate. Students in French Immersion can also participate in the IB program, and receive a bilingual IB diploma.
An annual school science fair is held at Churchill Secondary, and twenty projects are chosen to represent the school at the Vancouver District Science Fair. Winners there move onto the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair, and then onto the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School has been well represented in past years, and at the CWSF2005, Churchill students set a record for all schools in Canada, taking home 18 medals under the guidance of Dr. Geoffrey Gabbott and Mr.Victor Shieh.
Sir Winston Churchill is currently a strong competitor in Reach for the Top, having won the provincial championship three years in a row, from 2008-2010. Churchill students have participated in local science fairs. Sir Winston Churchill is also known for its Debate team. Involvement with other extracurricular activities is highly encouraged by teachers and staff. Churchill has a variety of clubs supporting various advocacy groups and interests, as well as several student run publications including the Big Bang Science Journal. In 2010 Churchill had the most runners as a school in the Vancouver Sun Run with 721 participants.[2]
The appearance of Sir Winston Churchill Secondary had been loosely adapted for Chamberlain Secondary School in the webcomic We Can Sleep Tomorrow, the exterior of the school being prominently featured in a comic dated October 9, 2009.[3]