New Westminster Secondary School

New Westminster Secondary School
Ad Ductum Et Operam For Leadership and Work
Address
835 Eighth Street New Westminster, British Columbia, V3M 3S9, Canada
Information
School number	10099001
School board	School District 40 New Westminster
Religious affiliation	None
Superintendent	Dr. John Woudzia
Principal	Mary Bushman
Vice principal	Rhonda Anderson, Kelly Boechler, Janine Close, Steve Inniss
Staff	200+
School type	Public Secondary School
Grades	8 to 12
Language	English, French
Area	Lower Mainland GVRD
Mascot	Firefighter
Team name	New Wesminster Hyacks
Colours	Black, Orange
Founded	1960
Enrolment	2200+
Homepage	http://www.nwss.ca

New Westminster Secondary School is a high school in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the largest high schools in BC.^[1] Students of grade 8 to 12 are enrolled. The school offers various advanced programs such as the International Baccalaureate program, Advanced Placement courses, and facilities such as the Automotive shop. The school mascot is a fireman^{[citation needed]} and the spirit mascot is the Yak^{[citation needed]}. During 2007, the Fraser Institute ranked the school in the top 50 secondary schools in British Columbia out of the 279 public and private secondary schools in the province..^[2] This roughly translates to number 18 out of approximately 75 ranks given.

Location

New Westminster Secondary School is located in Greater Vancouver in the lower mainland. The school is located over a two block wide campus area, and has many public facilities in close proximity to the school.

History

During the period of 1860^{[citation needed]}, the site of the school was a public cemetery where most of the prominent citizens of New Westminster were buried. Afterwards, the remains were transferred to the Fraser Cemetery in the 1870s. During 1940^{[citation needed]}, the corner of 10th Avenue and 8th was leased to the Federal Government. It served as soldiers' barracks to train soldiers during World War II. After World War II, the barracks were moved to the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the rest of the cemetery was demolished. Finally, in 1948 The Public Works Yard^{[citation needed]} was moved and the site was transferred to the New Westminster School Board for the construction of offices and high schools. The site was checked for burial remains before construction, but many areas were missed.

In September 1949^{[citation needed]}, Vincent Massey Junior High was unofficially opened by Premier Bryan I. Johnson. On December 16, 1949^{[citation needed]}, the school was officially opened. The school was named after the Right Honourable Vincent Massey^{[citation needed]}, the eighteenth Governor General of Canada.

Student life

Music

NWSS has a large music department with many bands. Some of the bands include the grade 8 concert band, grade 9 jazz and concert band, grade 10 jazz and concert band, grade 10 jazz choir, grade 10 girls choir, chamber choir, senior 2 (grade 11) jazz and concert band, senior 1 (grade 12) jazz and concert band, and the Viola/violin orchestra. The school has 2 concerts each year in its own theatre, a winter concert in December and a concert in May/June. The students go on various trips and competitions. For example, the senior bands went to New York in April 2007.^[3] Others include competitions in Capilano College and performances in malls and schools. This year(2010), Grade 10 Concert band and Jazz band, Grade 9 Concert band and Jazz band will attend a festival in Whistler from May 7 to May 10.

Every year a winner is determined for the N-Dub idol event, an imitation of American Idol and Canadian Idol where a student will have a chance to win a prize and gain recognition for their singing talent.

School maps

The school is composed of two wings, Massey and Pearson. The school is two stories high. The new school is currently being constructed, and is planned to be built three stories high on a smaller area, freeing room for a Middle School on the same campus.

Academics

Programs

NWSS has many programs for students who want to study specific categories of interest or are aiming for a specific area of study. These include:

• NWSS Student Leadership Council^[4] - The NWSS Leadership is an individualized program for students who are interested in becoming active citizens in the school community. Students will receive training and mentoring in organization, communication and team-building skills. In this course the students will begin to take on leadership roles in the NWSS Student Leadership Council. Due to the nature of this "z" block course, students must be able to meet and to commit to 60 service hours at lunch and after school.More information on Student Leadership can be obtained from their website: www.nwssleadership.ca.
• NWSS Fine Arts Mini School - The NWSS Fine Arts Mini School is for people who are interested in studying areas involving fine arts, such as design, and movie authoring. Due to the construction of the new school, it is currently not being offered.
• NWSS School of Tourism^[5] - The tourism program allows students to study tourism promotion and related topics. Tourism students can attain certification at various levels of achievement that supports them in entry-level positions and provides transferable skills for use in Tourism Training Programs. This program is approved by the Canadian Academy of Travel and Tourism (CATT)^[6]
• Pre-Apprenticeship Automotive Program - As part of a joint initiative between BCIT and NWSS, this program is for students who meet the BCIT entrance requirements and wants to become an automotive mechanic, to take the first year of BCIT’s Entry Level Trades Training Certificate Program at the same time as completing graduation requirements. This program is offered to grade 10, 11 and 12 students.
• Plumbing Apprenticeship Course - This new program starts from Sept. 2007 and is offered between NWSS and a post-secondary partner. Details of course include: plan design, install, and service of various types of piping systems; work with water heating systems, water supply & drainage; blueprint reading, drafting & sketching. Students will receive credit for Level 1 Technical training from the Industry Training Authority.
• Secondary School Apprenticeship (SSA) - This course is offered to students who are willing to dedicate time to work as an apprentice with an employer on a part-time basis, while attending regular school classes. Students will complete 480 hours of apprenticeship while in secondary school.
• Advanced Placement Programs - This program offers students an opportunity to study university level courses in Grade 12 or Grade 11 in some circumstances (with permission from instructor). These courses are offered out of class time, usually after school. The school offers the following courses:
  • Literature and Composition
  • Art History
  • European History
  • Human Geography
• International Baccalaureate Programme - The NWSS International Baccalaureate (IB) program is a rigorous pre-university course of studies, offered at NWSS since the year of 2000.^[7] The school offers the Diploma Program (DP) and an unofficial Pre-IB Programme. The Pre-IB Programme contains a course called RIM, or Research in Motion. This course is meant to give students a basis in discussion of ethics and technology useful in the diploma programme. It includes a research paper known as the Long Term Project (LTP), imitable of the 3000 word Extended Essay completed by Diploma candidates. All students must take a qualifications test to enter the Pre-IB program, and may be asked for teacher recommendations for the diploma programme. Currently the highest diploma mark received by candidates at NWSS is 45 (out of 45). The school offers the following IB subjects (as of 2007):
  • Group 1: English A1 Higher Level (HL), English A1 Standard Level (SL)
  • Group 2: French B SL, French B HL
  • Group 3: History HL, ITGS SL and HL, Psychology SL and HL.
  • Group 4: Chemistry HL, Chemistry SL, Biology SL, Biology HL, Physics SL, Physics HL
  • Group 5: Mathematics SL, Math Studies SL
  • Group 6: Music SL, Theatre Arts SL
• ESL Program - The English Second Language (ESL) Program at NWSS is for students whose second language is English. This program is offered to many International Students.
• French Immersion Program - The French Immersion program at NWSS is designed to let students enhance their French skills by attending classes purely taught in French. This is the continuation of the Glenbrook Middle School late French immersion program. In this program, students are expected to speak French in most classes and upon finishing it, have almost native fluency. Students frequently go on exchange trips, such as France exchange 2007.

As well as these programs, NWSS offers other unique courses, such as Social Justice, Law, Ceramics and Sculpture, Comparative Civilizations, as well as hundreds of other electives and exploratory programs. These accompany the regular academic programs that the school offers.

School facilities and resources

Athletic facilities

New Westminster Secondary school currently has the following athletic facilities:

• Three indoor gyms: a gym located in the Pearson Wing, and two gyms in the Massey Wing.
• An outdoor bubble gym: an outdoor bubble gym located next to Pearson Cafeteria.
• An outdoor football field: a football field with artificial grass, a track and field course, four natural lighting systems, an electronic scoreboard and a stand for audience. Beneath the stand lie public washrooms and two large locker rooms.
• Two soccer/multipurpose fields: two fields with goal posts and grass and baseball corner.
• A skating rink: Moody Park Skating Arena is located on campus adjacent to Massey Theatre.
• A fitness/weight room: room with many workout facilities.
• A skateboard park: a concrete park with various obstacles and inversions.

Sports Teams

New Westminster Secondary School has more than 13 sports teams including:

• Football Team (Grade 9,10,11,12)
• Soccer Team (Junior, Senior)
• Badminton (Everyone)
• Volleyball (Grade 8, Grade 9, Junior, Senior)
• Basketball (Grade 8, Grade 9, Junior, Senior)
• Cosom Hockey (Everyone)
• Field Hockey Team (Girls)
• X-Country Running (Everyone)
• Track and Field (Everyone)
• Cheer and Stunt Team (Everyone)
• Boys Field Lacrosse (Grades 8-12)
• Olympic Wrestling (Everyone)
• Car Racing (Grade 12)

Technology and exploratory facilities

New Westminster Secondary School currently has the following technology facilities:

• Several Computer rooms
• An industrial education shop
• A woodworking shop
• An electronics shop
• A metal working shop
• A drafting room
• Two home economics rooms
• An automotive shop
• A media centre

Academic resources

New Westminster secondary school currently provides the following academic resources:

• A tablet PC and LCD projector for each math classroom
• Eight science laboratories
• An overhead projector per classroom
• Internet connection (wired) per classroom (on request of teachers).

Fine arts facilities

New Westminster Secondary School currently has the following fine arts facilities

• An auditorium theatre (1260 seat)
• Two band rooms
• Four fine arts classrooms (Fine arts section of school)
• A dance studio
• A yearbook room

Other facilities

• Two cafeterias: a cafeteria in the Pearson Wing (vends food) and a cafeteria in the Massey Wing (does not vend food).

Controversies and issues

Postponed future development

The current high school is structurally unstable and also prone to frequent breakdowns. Because of this, the British Columbia Ministry of Education has allowed the construction of a new high school and middle school that will replace the old building. The high school will no longer accept grade eight students after the new construction of the Middle School. Work on the new building was expected to begin in summer of 2005 and be completed in 2007.

In order to sustain enough funds, there has been a proposal to sell parts of the NWSS land to commercial development and housing. In 2005, the school board of NWSS requested for an additional $20 million dollar increase in spending money (in addition to the original $52 million dollars that was approved)^[8] for the new school, due to rising construction costs. However, the ministry has rejected the request. As a result, the construction of the new school is now delayed.

Asbestos incident

On April 26, 2005,^[9] part of the school was demolished in the anticipation of building a new school. However, due to the age of the school, asbestos was found to be in the floor of room 138, the room being demolished.^[10] Because of this incident, the school district was fined by WorkSafeBC, who claimed that the school district did not provide enough information to the workers about the asbestos. While the workers themselves claimed that they were not aware of the asbestos, former principal Joey Sahli stated in a school assembly that the workers had this responsibility to find out. The cause of the incident still remains debatable and unclear.

Within a month, the part with asbestos was blocked off in an attempt to prevent it from spreading. While the area was closed, there was a potential of students who were exposed to asbestos, having studied in that area. Drama students and teachers were potentially affected due to the location of the asbestos directly in the Fine Arts section of the school. As a response to this, the school district has conducted many surveys and health checks to assure the safety of the students and staff.^[11][12][13]

Drinking water incident

Drinking fountains were bagged and the cafeteria was shut down on November 17, 2007^[14] after a test determined that the water at New Westminster Secondary School could have contained a bacterium found in fecal matter. The school has conducted tests on May 3, 2007 after the water was seen to be murky in the second floor of Massey Wing, but at that time the problem was not evident. More tests were conducted in October, but only until November were the results informative. According to a Ministry of Environment report, the presence of coliform bacteria indicates contamination of water with fecal waste that may contain bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Drinking water contaminated with coliform can cause stomach and intestinal illness including diarrhea and nausea, the report states. The school responded to this by flushing out the water in both ends of the school and provided bottled water for two days, while warning students about the unsafe water in the announcements. Notices were sent home on November 20, 2007 explaining the situation.

On November 21, 2007, the water in the school was reported to be safe to drink. Second tests shown that the school's drinking water did not contain coliform.^[15] According to Michael Ewen, school board chair, the A.C.M. Environmental Corporation, which tested that water and prepared the district's asbestos management plan, has made a mistake when it uncovered unacceptable levels of coliform in the water from samples taken on October 26. He states that "A second company tested the water and found that the water is fine and safe and always was" and that the coliform was found in taps from chemistry labs.

Tuberculosis incident

On December 4, 2007, school administrators were informed that an NWSS student had been diagnosed with infectious tuberculosis (TB).^[16] While the identity of the 9th grade student could not be released, over 200 peers and teachers who came into contact with the individual were notified, and voluntary testing was carried out in room 149 starting on December 11. Responding to the incident, superintendent John Woudzia stated: "It's a significant issue, (but) I'm convinced we have a good plan in place." Most forms of TB are currently treatable with antibiotics, but drug-resistant strains are becoming more common. As a follow-up procedure, the school tested these students and teachers once again on February 13, 2008.

School lockdown incident

New Westminster Secondary School was locked down on Thursday April 10, 2008 by police as officers tried to confirm reports of a handgun being seen there.^[17] Police were looking for a 14-year-old male teenager after a report of a handgun at New Westminster secondary school Thursday afternoon.

Police said the teen, a refugee from Rwanda, was spotted with a gun by another student, a Grade 9 girl. The teen did not seem to attend NWSS.^[18] She reported the gun to the school's police liaison officer who then ordered a lockdown. At approximately 1:40 p.m., a school wide lockdown was announced by the principal, stating that the incident was "not a rehearsal". Prior to this incident, the school has conducted several lockdown drills in the beginning of the year, especially after the Virginia Tech massacre.

New Westminster Police responded to the incident with full force and called in the Integrated Municipal Emergency Response Team and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Emergency Response Team (ERT), Burnaby RCMP, the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service and Delta Police Department to assist. There were several helicopters spotted circulating the school. Concerned parents were told to gather at Century House in Moody Park, where they are being briefed about the situation at the school. Victim Services was also on location while police used Moody Park Arena as the command centre.

The school conducted a controlled evacuation at approximately 4:00 p.m. in which classes were evacuated one by one while being escorted by heavily armed police officers. ERT officers were standing and patrolling in NWSS's hallways along the way. Students and staff were instructed by the principal to follow ERT officers' directions to leave the school in the quickest way possible. The top floor of Pearson wing was evacuated first, followed by the top floor in Massey wing, and then the bottom floors of Pearson wing, and Massey wing.

All classes on that day and the day after were canceled.^[19]

The 14 year old teenager was arrested on April 11, 2008, but released because there was not enough evidence to charge him.^[20]

Lightning strike

The school was hit by lightning on September 18, 2007 at approximately 4:00pm during a thunder storm. The school was evacuated and no one was hurt. The lighting caused a failure in a school's heating system, leaving the entire school unheated the next day.

Future development

The New Westminster School District is has announced the plans for the replacement of the New Westminster Secondary School (NWSS). NWSS will continue to be the biggest school in the Province of British Columbia with this largest and most complex construction project in the history of the province. As the only high school in New Westminster, NWSS also serves as a hub of the community, which means the high school students will enjoy the benefits of facilities not normally found in high schools. The new school will incorporate a community facilities development including improvements to the existing Massey Theatre (1260 seat auditorium), a new Fine Arts Centre which will also include a 300 seat theatre, expanded athletic fields, and a sports field house which will have a capacity for 6 basketball courts. Modern architectural designs will maximize space and light in the new school buildings, and incorporate state of the art heating and ventilation cooling systems.^[21]

The new school will be built on the site of the existing school and will accommodate up to 2,400 students – 375 more than the current enrollment. Enrollment at the New Westminster Secondary school is increasing, and this trend is expected to continue through to 2013. The replacement school was expected to open in September 2007, but due to funding issues, it is currently delayed.^[8]

As of April 29, 2007, it was believed that the government had promised either the new High School or Middle School would be built by the year 2009.^[22] It is currently being decided whether the school would accept students of grades 10-12 and have a middle school with grades 7-9, or to have the secondary school with grades 9-12 and the middle school as grades 6-8.

Notable alumni

• Justin Morneau^[23] - Major League Baseball player of the Minnesota Twins, and MVP winner.
• Bill Ranford^[24] - Professional National Hockey League player.
• Todd Ewen^[25] - Professional National Hockey League player.
• Peter Julian ^[26] - Canadian Member of Parliament for the New Democratic Party

Filming location

• New Westminster Secondary School was the main filming location for the five-season television series 21 Jump Street^[27]
• New Westminster Secondary School is the main filming location for the videos used in the Premier Go Program^[28]

References

1. ^ Lockdown at NWSS - CTV: 14 year old arrested. on YouTube
2. ^ The Fraser Institute
3. ^ NWSS Music Department » Blog Archive »
4. ^ http://www.nwssleadership.ca
5. ^ http://www.nwss.ca/04/course_sel/tourism/12_school_tourism.html
6. ^ http://www.cthrc.ca/eng/catt/pdf/2006_CATT_Scholarship_Criteria.pdf
7. ^ New Westminster Secondary School
8. ^ ^{a b} Annual Service Plan Reports 2004/05 - Ministry of Education
9. ^ http://www.sd40.bc.ca/sbo/Miscellaneous/letter%20to%20NWSS%20Parents%20re%20Asbestos%20Jan%2030%202007.pdf
10. ^ NWSS School Damage on YouTube
11. ^ http://www.voicenewwestminster.org/files/LETTER%20TO%20MINISTER%20BOND%20-%20APRIL%2025%202007.pdf
12. ^ CDTA - BCTF News
13. ^ http://www.sd79.bc.ca/administration/school%20board%20meetings/Open_Minutes_2007_04_04.pdf
14. ^ School's drinking water unsafe
15. ^ Secondary school water is safe to drink
16. ^ Students screened for TB
17. ^ CTV British Columbia - Your source for BC News, CTV TV Shows,Vancouver Sports, Lottery and Weather - Vancouver, BC, Canada
18. ^ New Westminster secondary school locked down
19. ^ Burnaby NewsLeader - Your Best source for Local Community News delivered in print or online
20. ^ News1130 - ALL NEWS RADIO
21. ^ Study English Abroad Canada New Westminster ::: INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM :::
22. ^ Plans Proceed For Two New Schools In New Westminster
23. ^ The Official Site of The Minnesota Twins: Team: Player Information
24. ^ Bill Ranford (1985-2000)
25. ^ Todd Ewen(1985-2000)
26. ^ Peter Julian, MP |Facebook
27. ^ "21 Jump Street" (1987) at the Internet Movie Database
28. ^ http://ca.youtube.com/user/DiscoverGo

External links

Official school websites

• New Westminster Secondary School Website
• International Students Website
• NWSS's Massey Theatre
• School District #40 Website
• NWSS Music Department
• NWSS IB Programme
• NWSS Hyack Football Team
• WorkSafeBC

News reports

• NWSS School Damage on YouTube
• CBC News - "NWSS Lockdown CBC Footage"
• CTV News - "NWSS Lockdown CTV News at 6 Live Report
• NewsLeader - "NWSS Lockdown Raw Footage"
• Global News - "NWSS Lockdown 11:00am News"
• Global News - "NWSS Lockdown Morning Update"
• Lockdown at NWSS - CTV: 14 year old arrested. on YouTube

Other

• New Westminster Secondary School page on the IBO website

49°12′56.37″N 122°55′44.40″W / 49.2156583°N 122.929°W / 49.2156583; -122.929Coordinates: 49°12′56.37″N 122°55′44.40″W / 49.2156583°N 122.929°W / 49.2156583; -122.929