Halifax West High School
Encyclopedia
Halifax West High School is a Canadian
public high school
located in the Clayton Park
neighbourhood in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
. Encompassing grades 10 through 12, Halifax West High School offers a variety of courses
in both French
and English
and International Baccalaureate diplomas for its enrollment of 1463 students as of September 30, 2009.
Halifax West High School was constructed in 1958 on the Dutch Village Road in the suburban community of Fairview
. Originally known as Halifax West Municipal High School during the 1960s, students came by bus from a wide spread area including Rockingham, Spryfield, Sheffield, Sambro, Terrance Bay, Peggy's Cove, Head of St. Margaret's Bay and Hubbards.
Over the decades, the school building underwent several renovations and the word Municipal was removed from the name.
During the late 1990s, teachers and students started to become sick as a result of poor air quality. The building underwent another renovation in an attempt to rid the toxic substances. Still tests yielded poor air quality, specifically in one area of the school where the science and art labs were located. In the 1999–2000 school year, this portion of the school was closed off, and in May of that same school year tests were conducted all around the school on the air quality. The school remained open until the end of the year.
In July 2000, it was made public that Halifax West High School was too sick to be occupied, and a meeting was held at a nearby junior high school to discuss options and plans of what to do. The School Board Proposal was to absorb the Halifax West community into the other high schools in the HRM, however the outrage from the community quickly stopped these plans. At the meeting, other options were discussed, including using the building of a new junior high school that was yet to open in the Clayton Park West neighbourhood. Other plans were for many portables to be used to accommodate the classes. Still the most feasible plan was to go into split shifts while a concrete plan of action was created.
The students of Halifax West took school buses from various locations around the neighbourhood to J. L. Ilsley High School
in nearby Spryfield. The 2000 - 2001 school year was spent on split shift, with the native students of J. L. Ilsley starting classes at 7:30 am, and ending at 12:30 noon, while the Halifax West students would start classes 12:45 noon and end at 5:45 pm. In the winter months, both schools faced the hazard of riding buses in the early morning or early evening darkness.
For the 2001 - 2002 school year, another plan was devised. For the first semester, (September - December) the students of HWHS would be split up somewhat. The grade 10 and grade 11 classes would be conducted at B.C. Silver, an abandoned junior high school close to J. L. Ilsley. The grade 12s would attend J. L. Ilsley, with their own teachers, however attend classes during the same time and on the same bell system as the J. L Ilsley students. For the second Semester, the students were all amalgamated into one building. This building was the Gordon Bell Building located in Cole Harbour Nova Scotia, approximately 45 minutes and one bridge crossing away from the old Halifax West. Although it was far away, the students of Halifax West were generally happy to be together, and even happier to be in a healthy building.
During these years in limbo, the Halifax West community was lobbying for a new school. After several years of pressure on provincial and municipal politicians, the Department of Education agreed to fund a new school in the suburb of Clayton Park
, adjacent to Fairview. The new structure was built in the Clayton Park West neighbourhood, near the summit of Geizers Hill, and was completed in the fall of 2002. There was a great deal of debate as to what the name of the school would be. The Students of the HWHS worked to maintain the name, as it would be a testament to the fact that after all the time they spent in limbo, they were not just a building, but rather a community. The Students of Halifax West spent one more semester in the Gordon Bell Building, and then attended the new structure which opened in January 2003 as Halifax West High School.
During the design phase of the new school building, provisions were made for adding a large auditorium which would function as a community theatre, to be constructed at a later date after fundraising was completed. Construction of this new auditorium began in February 2007 and finished in June 2007 with the theatre opening in October 2007.
Halifax West's boys' varsity soccer team won the NSSAF provincial championship in 1999. Halifax West's boys' varsity soccer team has won provincial championships four consecutive times and is only the second high school in Nova Scotia to ever do so.(2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007).
Halifax West's Junior Varsity Boys Soccer Team won the NSSAF Provincial Championship three times (2005-2006, 2006-2007, and 2008-2009).
Halifax West's girls varsity soccer team won three provincial championships in the last four years. Provincial Champs 2005-2006, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009.
The Halifax West Football Rams first took to the gravel field in August 1965.
The West Football team won provincial championships in 1991 and in 2003 defeating St. Patricks High School 40-29.
The Halifax West boys' basketball team has won 4 provincial championships.
The Halifax West's girls' rugby won provincials in 2006 .defeating former provincial champs West Kings.
The West boys Rugby team were 11-3 losing in the semi-final qualifier match to Horton in over time.
The Halifax West Boys Hockey Team made its first provincial playdown appearance in the 2007-2008 season and made the provincial tournament for the first time.
From 2004-2006, the Halifax West Ski team placed first in both male and female GS races in provincials.
*Student-run production
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
public high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in the Clayton Park
Clayton Park, Nova Scotia
Clayton Park is a Canadian suburban development in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality inside the city of Halifax.-Original development:...
neighbourhood in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. Encompassing grades 10 through 12, Halifax West High School offers a variety of courses
Course (education)
The very broad dictionary meaning of the word course is the act or action of moving in a path from point to point . There are multiple meanings for this word, some of which include: general line of orientation, a mode of action, part of a meal, a mode of action, and many more. This article focuses...
in both French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and International Baccalaureate diplomas for its enrollment of 1463 students as of September 30, 2009.
History
Fairview, Nova Scotia
Fairview is a former community and current neighbourhood within the urban core of Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada.-Geography:...
. Originally known as Halifax West Municipal High School during the 1960s, students came by bus from a wide spread area including Rockingham, Spryfield, Sheffield, Sambro, Terrance Bay, Peggy's Cove, Head of St. Margaret's Bay and Hubbards.
Over the decades, the school building underwent several renovations and the word Municipal was removed from the name.
During the late 1990s, teachers and students started to become sick as a result of poor air quality. The building underwent another renovation in an attempt to rid the toxic substances. Still tests yielded poor air quality, specifically in one area of the school where the science and art labs were located. In the 1999–2000 school year, this portion of the school was closed off, and in May of that same school year tests were conducted all around the school on the air quality. The school remained open until the end of the year.
In July 2000, it was made public that Halifax West High School was too sick to be occupied, and a meeting was held at a nearby junior high school to discuss options and plans of what to do. The School Board Proposal was to absorb the Halifax West community into the other high schools in the HRM, however the outrage from the community quickly stopped these plans. At the meeting, other options were discussed, including using the building of a new junior high school that was yet to open in the Clayton Park West neighbourhood. Other plans were for many portables to be used to accommodate the classes. Still the most feasible plan was to go into split shifts while a concrete plan of action was created.
The students of Halifax West took school buses from various locations around the neighbourhood to J. L. Ilsley High School
J. L. Ilsley High School
J.L. Ilsley High School is a Canadian high school located in Spryfield in the western part of Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. The school is named after James Lorimer Ilsley, a former federal cabinet minister who served in Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King's World War II...
in nearby Spryfield. The 2000 - 2001 school year was spent on split shift, with the native students of J. L. Ilsley starting classes at 7:30 am, and ending at 12:30 noon, while the Halifax West students would start classes 12:45 noon and end at 5:45 pm. In the winter months, both schools faced the hazard of riding buses in the early morning or early evening darkness.
For the 2001 - 2002 school year, another plan was devised. For the first semester, (September - December) the students of HWHS would be split up somewhat. The grade 10 and grade 11 classes would be conducted at B.C. Silver, an abandoned junior high school close to J. L. Ilsley. The grade 12s would attend J. L. Ilsley, with their own teachers, however attend classes during the same time and on the same bell system as the J. L Ilsley students. For the second Semester, the students were all amalgamated into one building. This building was the Gordon Bell Building located in Cole Harbour Nova Scotia, approximately 45 minutes and one bridge crossing away from the old Halifax West. Although it was far away, the students of Halifax West were generally happy to be together, and even happier to be in a healthy building.
During these years in limbo, the Halifax West community was lobbying for a new school. After several years of pressure on provincial and municipal politicians, the Department of Education agreed to fund a new school in the suburb of Clayton Park
Clayton Park, Nova Scotia
Clayton Park is a Canadian suburban development in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality inside the city of Halifax.-Original development:...
, adjacent to Fairview. The new structure was built in the Clayton Park West neighbourhood, near the summit of Geizers Hill, and was completed in the fall of 2002. There was a great deal of debate as to what the name of the school would be. The Students of the HWHS worked to maintain the name, as it would be a testament to the fact that after all the time they spent in limbo, they were not just a building, but rather a community. The Students of Halifax West spent one more semester in the Gordon Bell Building, and then attended the new structure which opened in January 2003 as Halifax West High School.
During the design phase of the new school building, provisions were made for adding a large auditorium which would function as a community theatre, to be constructed at a later date after fundraising was completed. Construction of this new auditorium began in February 2007 and finished in June 2007 with the theatre opening in October 2007.
- See article Bella Rose Arts CentreBella Rose Arts CentreThe Bella Rose Arts Centre is a community-based proscenium theatre performing arts centre located inside of Halifax West High School in the Clayton Park neighbourhood of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada...
.
Sports teams
The Halifax West High School athletics department offers varsity and intramural sports teams for sports such as football, hockey, soccer, volleyball, basketball, badminton, track and field, softball, baseball, field hockey, wrestling and rugby .Halifax West's boys' varsity soccer team won the NSSAF provincial championship in 1999. Halifax West's boys' varsity soccer team has won provincial championships four consecutive times and is only the second high school in Nova Scotia to ever do so.(2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007).
Halifax West's Junior Varsity Boys Soccer Team won the NSSAF Provincial Championship three times (2005-2006, 2006-2007, and 2008-2009).
Halifax West's girls varsity soccer team won three provincial championships in the last four years. Provincial Champs 2005-2006, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009.
The Halifax West Football Rams first took to the gravel field in August 1965.
The West Football team won provincial championships in 1991 and in 2003 defeating St. Patricks High School 40-29.
The Halifax West boys' basketball team has won 4 provincial championships.
The Halifax West's girls' rugby won provincials in 2006 .defeating former provincial champs West Kings.
The West boys Rugby team were 11-3 losing in the semi-final qualifier match to Horton in over time.
The Halifax West Boys Hockey Team made its first provincial playdown appearance in the 2007-2008 season and made the provincial tournament for the first time.
From 2004-2006, the Halifax West Ski team placed first in both male and female GS races in provincials.
Clubs
Halifax West High School has a variety of student extracurricular clubs and societies, including a model parliament, robotics, yearbook, debating, film production, an elite choir, numerous musical ensembles and a concert choir.Stage Productions
The school offers musical theatre productions each year.- 2001: FameFameThe words fame and famous are used in many contexts, most of them inspired by the concept of celebrity but Fame or famous may refer specifically to:* Fans of Adult Media and Entertainment Awards, created in 2006...
- 2005: GreaseGreaseGrease may refer to:* Grease , a type of industrial lubricant* Yellow grease, in rendering, used frying oils, or lower-quality grades of tallow...
- 2005: Guys & Dolls
- 2005: West Side StoryWest Side StoryWest Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
- 2005: The Pajama GameThe Pajama GameThe Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded...
- 2006: Les MisérablesLes Misérables (musical)Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
- 2007: Jesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
- 2008: Kiss Me KateKiss Me KateKiss Me Kate was a British sitcom that ran from 1998 until 2000. It followed the everyday life of a woman counsellor, Kate , who must not only manage her clients' problems, but must also help her neighbours and unsuccessful business partner, Douglas, played by Chris Langham. Amanda Holden played...
- 2009: How to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingHow to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name....
- 2010: A Chorus LineA Chorus LineA Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
- 2011: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along BlogDr. Horrible's Sing-Along BlogDr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 2008 musical tragicomedy miniseries in three acts, produced exclusively for Internet distribution. Filmed and set in Los Angeles, the show tells the story of Dr...
* - 2011: RentRent (musical)Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
*Student-run production
Pop culture
Halifax West High School was used as a set for shoots for 2004 Lifetime film She's Too YoungShe's Too Young
She's Too Young is a made-for-TV movie released in 2004, starring Marcia Gay Harden as the mother of a 14 year old daughter who is involved in sexual acts hidden from her parents...
.