Westwood Community High School

Westwood Community High School
Address
221 Tundra Drive Fort McMurray, Alberta, T9H 4Z7 Canada
Information
School type	Public
Founded	1986
School board	Fort McMurray Public School District
Principal	Jessica Roy
Grades	10, 11, 12
Language	English, French
Colour(s)	Blue and White
Team name	Westwood Trojans
Website	www.westwood.fmpsdschools.com

Westwood Community High School is a public senior high school located in Fort McMurray, Alberta and is part of the Fort McMurray Public School District.^[1] In a schedule that provides alternating Fridays off, school days begin at 8:00 AM and end at 2:49 PM, with every school year starting early September and ending in late June.^[2] The school is situated in the community of Thickwood and currently accommodates approximately 800 students. It is the only high school in Fort McMurray that offers Advanced Placement courses.^[3]^[4]

Academics

Westwood continues to rank the highest academically out of the five high schools in the city, with the vast majority of its graduates attending post-secondary institutions across the country. Former students have excelled in national math and science competitions, and Wood Buffalo's annual delegation for the Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) has been composed mostly of Westwood students.^[5] The school has also produced one Schulich Leader Scholar (2016) and numerous Loran Scholar nominees.^[6]

Advanced Placement

The Advanced Placement (AP) courses currently offered in the school include Calculus (AB & BC), Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English, and Computer Science A; all of these have been audited by the College Board to guarantee the satisfaction of the AP curriculum. Students enroll in Pre-Advanced Placement courses for grades 10 and 11 and complete full AP courses in grade 12. They have the option to take additional AP courses, such as Art and History, online; they can also challenge multiple AP exams by paying a non-refundable registration fee without taking any AP courses. Exams are graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with 3 equaling a passing score; to receive post-secondary course credit, students must achieve a score of 4 or 5.

Athletics

The school has multiple sports teams, including Basketball, Soccer, Football, Volleyball, Badminton and Golf. All athletic teams participate in the Alberta Schools Athletic Association. Trojans have won many regional and provincial zones tournaments.

Fine and Performing Arts

Westwood provides well-developed Theatre and Musical Theatre programs. Each year a large scale production is held, with a technical and acting cast composed completely of students. Students can participate in the school's award-winning Improvisation (Improv) Team and are also given the chance to audition for One-Act plays later in the school year. Usually written and directed by senior students, Westwood's One-Act plays have received accolades at annual One Act festivals in the province.

Every year, Westwood students in Art courses have the opportunity to display their artwork in regional art exhibitions and festivals. The school has also received the most Art 30 Awards, given to graduating students who then have their artwork displayed at the district board's office.

Extracurricular Activities

The school has an inclusive list of clubs that students can participate in. This includes Student Council, Colours Multicultural Club, and Model United Nations among others. Westwood's Green Initiative team has installed solar panels in the school, constructed an eco-friendly greenhouse and school garden, and won three consecutive BPA+ grants of $10,000 each. The school's Project Kenya club has built a school in Kenya and holds fundraisers for the underprivileged. Each school year, Westwood is represented at national and international robotics championships, with the robotics team garnering numerous awards.

Graduating students can take part in the Graduation Committee and are given the chance to plan and decorate for their prom at the end of the year. Students in any grade can become a member of the Yearbook Committee, and help photograph school events and activities.

Spirit Day

An entire school day is dedicated to a traditional event known as Spirit Day, planned and executed by school administration and student council. Usually held on a Friday, the staff and student body is divided into four groups: Team Blue, Team Red, Team Yellow and Team Green. Students and teachers dress in accordance with their team colour; this can include face-painting and colourful costumes. Throughout the day, students can participate in various games and challenges to earn raffle tickets. Team competitions are also held interchangeably, in which teams collectively attempt to win challenges such as duck-taping a team member to the gym wall, successfully fitting every team member into a small circle, trying to cheer the loudest out of the four teams, and win an exclusive race in which only staff participate. At the end of the event, a raffle is held in the gymnasium where tickets are drawn and students who have matching tickets earn prizes such as gift-cards, headphones and a grand prize that is usually a trending electronic item. The day concludes with the announcement of the winning team, and a barbecue hosted by the staff.

References

Coordinates: 56°43′42″N 111°27′07″W / 56.7284°N 111.4520°W / 56.7284; -111.4520

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.