Western Canada High School

Western Canada High School (WCHS) is a public senior high school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It has classes for grades 10 through 12. Western is located in the 17th Avenue business district of the Lower Mount Royal community, and is the most centrally located public high school in Calgary.^[1]

History

The original school building was completed in 1903 as a British-style exclusive high school for boys called Western Canada College (not a college in the North American sense of the word). It was created by "The Western Canada College Bill of Incorporating Ordinance" enacted by the Government of the Northwest Territories, which Calgary was then a part of before the province of Alberta was created in 1905.^[2]

A granite shaft bearing a Cross of Sacrifice was dedicated as a list of honour memorial to Western Canada College students who were killed during the First World War and who served during the Second World War, the Korean War and as peacekeepers.^[3]

The private school had financial problems and was sold to the Calgary Board of Education. The CBE renamed it, re-opened it as public school, and constructed additional buildings on the land. To raise funds for the new college, 5000 shares were sold for $10 each. Many of the original investors read like a "Who's Who" list for Alberta; Pat Burns, R. B. Bennett, A.E. Cross, William Pearce, A.C. Rutherford (who was premier at the time), and George Lane.

Western was Calgary's first composite high school, providing both technical and academic courses of study. The school has been substantially renovated and additions have been made to the building over the years. Linda Raasveldt became the first female principal of the school in 2002. The school recently underwent a series of renovations which were completed in Fall 2012.

Academics

Special Programs

The school provides French and English language as a primary language instruction. In addition, it is one of a select number of schools in Calgary to offer French immersion. Western is one of a small number of Calgary high schools to offer an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme Each year, about 20-40 students graduate with an IB Diploma, and significantly more graduate with an IB certificate. The school also offers an extensive performing and visual arts program, and offers a certificate to recognize students that have made fine arts a focus of learning at the high school level.

Athletics

The Western Redhawks compete under the governance of the Alberta Schools Athletic Association^[4] and Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association^[5]

The school boasts teams in the following sports:

• Badminton
• Basketball
• Cheerleading
• Cross Country
• Field Hockey
• Football
• Rugby
• Soccer
• Swim and Dive
• Track and Field
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Volleyball
• Wrestling
• Dance

Notable alumni

• David Choi - athlete and engineer
• Conrad Bain - actor
• Ryan Belleville - actor, writer
• Barney Bentall - singer/songwriter
• Braids - art rock band
• Jim Dinning - former Alberta treasurer
• Emerson Frostad - baseball player
• Dan Hays - Speaker of the Canadian Senate^[6]
• Pat Kelly - comedian, actor, and TV host.^[7]
• Norman Kwong - Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta, athlete
• Jan Lisiecki - classical pianist
• Suzette Mayr - novelist and poet.
• Ryan Northcott, actor
• Larry Robinson - football player^[8][9]
• Kinnie Starr - singer/songwriter
• David Swann - politician
• Taryn Swiatek - soccer player^[10]

See also

• St. Mary's High School - The only other high school in the nearby area. It also predates the province of Alberta.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western Canada High School.

• Western Canada High School official site