L A Matheson Secondary School

L A Matheson Secondary
Address
9484 122 St
Surrey, British Columbia, V3V 4M1
Canada
Coordinates 49°10′31″N 122°53′01″W / 49.1754°N 122.8837°W / 49.1754; -122.8837Coordinates: 49°10′31″N 122°53′01″W / 49.1754°N 122.8837°W / 49.1754; -122.8837
Information
School type Public, high school
School board School District 36 Surrey
School number 3636079
Principal Mr P Sarmento
Staff 71
Grades 8-12
Enrollment 1326[1] (October 2009)
Colour(s) Blue and White
Mascot Max
Team name Mustangs
Website www.sd36.bc.ca/sites/lamath/

L A Matheson Secondary School is a public high school in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, and is part of School District 36 Surrey. The school opened in 1969 as a junior secondary school as a feeder to Queen Elizabeth Secondary School but in 1998 became a full secondary school serving grades 8 through 12. In the 2013/14 school year, it was ranked 161st out of 316th in the annual ranking of secondary schools in British Columbia and Yukon. LA Matheson is known for its many different cultures and for its focus on diversity.

Academics

In the 2013/14 school year, L A Matheson Secondary School was ranked 161st out of 316th in the Fraser Institute annual ranking of secondary schools in British Columbia and Yukon.[2] However, this contrasts to internal statistics showing that 60% of L A Matheson students achieve a GPA of 3.0 and above.[3]L.A. Matheson Secondary is an excellent school. Our students perform in the many academic, athletic, cultural and service activities that are part of L.A. Matheson. Students should be involved in many activities and enjoy all aspects of school life. An effective education program benefits from home and school working together. To achieve this objective, parents and students are encouraged to make the best use of the services available at their school.

Athletics

Sports and athletic activities are governed by the Surrey Secondary Schools' Athletic Association. The athletics program includes rugby, volleyball, soccer, swimming, boys' and girls' basketball, cross-country, running and cricket.

Fine Arts

As a member of the Surrey Drama Teachers Association and the Association of British Columbia Drama Educators, this school has a thriving arts program including a Theatre Company, which has performed such plays as "Lockdown" by Douglas Craven, "Beauty & the Beast" by Vera Morris, and will perform their first musical in May of 2015. Furthermore, they have a thriving Dance program that performs annual recitals including genres of Jazz, Tap and Hip Hop. The Band Program has performed world wide including Germany, the United States, and Cuba. Other notable mentions are their Photography and Arts contributions to the school community, and community at large.

Problems

In previous years, L A Matheson has had a bad reputation. There were rising tensions in Indo-Canadian students and a student was hurt off school grounds in 2001. In 2002, another student was injured by a classmate.[4] The Provincial Attorney General, Ujjal Dosanjh, chose this school to launch five Responding to Racism booklets in October 1999.[5]

Notable alumni

References

  1. Enrollment is revealed in the "principals message" as of October 2009
  2. "Report Card on Secondary Schools in British Columbia and Yukon: 2009 Edition." Fraser Institute. June 2009.
  3. - p.6 of a recent newsletter showing outstanding academic achievement On the other hand, the Fraser Institute's ranking is substantiated by L A Matheson's current Wikipedia article in which the school states the low ranking "contrays [sic] to internal statistics."
  4. Story on killing near LA Matheson grounds
  5. "Stirring the racism pot", Alberta Report, 25 October 1999
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