Lord Dorchester Secondary School
Encyclopedia
Lord Dorchester Secondary School is a Thames Valley District School Board
Secondary School located in Dorchester, Ontario
.
Although small when compared to urban secondary schools, Lord Dorchester is larger than many rural-area schools. The student population hovers in the range of 500 to 600 students. Lord Dorchester is a strong academic school (based on provincial test scores), but also offers a range of non-academic courses such shop classes to go along with core subjects in mathematics, sciences, and the arts. The mascot of Lord Dorchester is the Canadian Beaver.
.
Throughout the years, the school has had a few renovations and upgrades. In the early 1990s, a state-of-the-art music room was built as an addition to the school. Over the summer of 2007, asbestos was removed, and in 2010, new carpet was installed in the library.
For the most part, classrooms in the school are rather outdated. Many of the school's computers were acquired secondhand from other schools, and only a small wing has air conditioning. However, in recent years the school has purchased new desks and Smart Boards. Also, every classroom is now equipped with its own data projector.
The school is surrounded by residential areas centrally located in the town of Dorchester, where a large percentage of the staff and students reside. Other students are bused in from surrounding communities such as Belmont, Putnam, and Thorndale.
Every few years, the school puts on a musical. Most recent musicals were Footloose
in 2006 and Little Shop of Horrors
in 2010.
team is a source of pride for the school due to recent successes at WOSSA by the team. In the earlier years, LDSS had a football team which is now defunct. However in recent years, the school has added rugby
teams and a cheerleading
squad.
, and the Safe Schools Committee. In recent years, more clubs have been added, such as the Eco Club and the Guitar Club. In 2009, students founded the Global Issues Club, which is now one of the most popular clubs in the school. Its purpose is to raise school awareness about global issues. For instance, following the 2010 Haiti earthquake
, the club hosted the Haiti Hootenanny - a charitable event that raised a lot of money for Haiti relief.
Throughout the past decade, the Lord Dorchester Senior Concert Band has had extremely good success in the Kiwanis Music Festival
. The ensemble has captured several division titles, most recently in 2010.
Thames Valley District School Board
The Thames Valley District School Board is a public school board in southwestern Ontario. It was created on January 1, 1998 by the amalgamation of the Elgin County Board of Education, The Board of Education for the City of London, Middlesex County Board of Education, and Oxford County Board of...
Secondary School located in Dorchester, Ontario
Dorchester, Ontario
Dorchester is the residential and commercial core of the municipality of Thames Centre, located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, a few kilometers directly east from the city of London. According to the Canada 2006 Census, the town has a population of 9,329....
.
Although small when compared to urban secondary schools, Lord Dorchester is larger than many rural-area schools. The student population hovers in the range of 500 to 600 students. Lord Dorchester is a strong academic school (based on provincial test scores), but also offers a range of non-academic courses such shop classes to go along with core subjects in mathematics, sciences, and the arts. The mascot of Lord Dorchester is the Canadian Beaver.
The School
Lord Dorchester Secondary School was constructed in 1961. The school has a several of facilities available to staff and students including a weight room and fully equipped athletic facilities. The school offers base programs at par with most schools, as well as some other open programs. However, students keen on taking open programs, particularly in the arts, have had to transfer to other schools, such as H. B. Beal Secondary SchoolH. B. Beal Secondary School
The H.B. Beal Secondary School is a high school in London, Ontario. It is named after Herbert Benson Beal, the founder and first principal of the school. H.B. Beal is the second largest school in Thames Valley District School Board with approximately 2000 students currently enrolled. The school...
.
Throughout the years, the school has had a few renovations and upgrades. In the early 1990s, a state-of-the-art music room was built as an addition to the school. Over the summer of 2007, asbestos was removed, and in 2010, new carpet was installed in the library.
For the most part, classrooms in the school are rather outdated. Many of the school's computers were acquired secondhand from other schools, and only a small wing has air conditioning. However, in recent years the school has purchased new desks and Smart Boards. Also, every classroom is now equipped with its own data projector.
The school is surrounded by residential areas centrally located in the town of Dorchester, where a large percentage of the staff and students reside. Other students are bused in from surrounding communities such as Belmont, Putnam, and Thorndale.
Every few years, the school puts on a musical. Most recent musicals were Footloose
Footloose (musical)
Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow , the lyrics by Dean Pitchford , and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie.-Act 1:...
in 2006 and Little Shop of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors (musical)
Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
in 2010.
Sports
Lord Dorchester has a relatively small number of athletic programs. All teams are run by faculty staff. The track and fieldTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team is a source of pride for the school due to recent successes at WOSSA by the team. In the earlier years, LDSS had a football team which is now defunct. However in recent years, the school has added rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
teams and a cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
squad.
Clubs and Ensembles
In any given year, the school runs many clubs. These include Reach For The TopReach for the Top
Reach for the Top is a Canadian game show in which teams of high school students participate in local, provincial and eventually national trivia tournaments...
, and the Safe Schools Committee. In recent years, more clubs have been added, such as the Eco Club and the Guitar Club. In 2009, students founded the Global Issues Club, which is now one of the most popular clubs in the school. Its purpose is to raise school awareness about global issues. For instance, following the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
, the club hosted the Haiti Hootenanny - a charitable event that raised a lot of money for Haiti relief.
Throughout the past decade, the Lord Dorchester Senior Concert Band has had extremely good success in the Kiwanis Music Festival
Kiwanis Music Festival
The Kiwanis Music Festival movement consists of regional music competitions in most Canadian urban centres. Its origin probably traces as far back as an inaugural 1908 festival in Edmonton, where Governor General Earl Grey advocated the establishment of music festivals throughout Canada's...
. The ensemble has captured several division titles, most recently in 2010.