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Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School (Hamilton)
Encyclopedia
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is the public school board in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, which was formed January 1, 1997 via the amalgamation of the Hamilton and Wentworth County school boards. HWDSB teaches approximately 50,000 students in its 114 neighbourhood schools...
. The school opened in 1970 and presently has an enrollment of 1250 students. The student body represents over 80 countries of origin and has over 50 different native languages. The school has a state-of-the-art auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
that seats 750 people. The school is located at 130 York Boulevard, Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, close to the city Public Library and across the street from the Copps Coliseum
Copps Coliseum
Copps Coliseum is a sports and entertainment arena, on the corner of Bay Street North and York Boulevard, in Hamilton, Ontario. Depending on event, the Copps Coliseum has a capacity of up to 19,000.It is named after the former Hamilton mayor, Victor K...
and Lloyd D. Jackson Square Mall
Lloyd D. Jackson Square
Lloyd D. Jackson Square, also known as Jackson Square, is an indoor shopping mall in the Lower City of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, named after Lloyd Douglas Jackson, the mayor of the city in the 1950s. The mall is located in the centre of the city, bounded by several major arterial roads: King...
.
| Officials and Administrators | Name |
|---|---|
| School Principal | Don Pente |
| Vice Principals | Theresa Sgambato, Mat Miller |
| Superintendnet | John Forbeck |
| Director of Education | John Malloy |
| Trustee | Judith Bishop |
History
Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School was opened in 1970 to replace Hamilton's Central Secondary School. The school is named after former Canadian Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, Sir John A. Macdonald. It became a semestered school in 1976.
Currently, there are students from over 80 different countries who attend the school, with over 50 different languages being their native dialects. The school offers a variety of different programs, tailored to different areas of interest.
Program highlights and student support programs
- Special Art Program: The Special Art Program at Sir John A. Macdonald is the oldest magnet program in the city with its origins dating back to the Hamilton Art School in the late 1800s. This tradition has produced many artists, including A.J. Casson and J.E.H. Macdonald of the Group of Seven. The program continues to help students gain entry to post secondary art programs at colleges and universities and currently has many former grads at institutions like Sheridan College and Ontario College of Art and Design.
- WOW-World of Work: WOW focuses on the skills and knowledge required for a career in the retail industry.
- Restaurant Hospitality Pathway: The Restaurant Hospitality pathway program focuses on the skills and knowledge required for a career in the restaurant industry.
- Web Design and Computer Game Design Technologies: This program teaches skills and knowledge required for a career in web design or computer game design.
- Applied Design - Portfolio Program: This courses offers students the opportunity to up-grade studio skills or expand their existing portfolio after graduating from their home school.
- Team Games Sport-Specific Program: This program allows students to focus on sport specific skills necessary for either volleyball, or basketball or soccer.
- Native Studies and Arts Program: The Native Studies and Arts program offers aboriginal and non-aboriginal students an opportunity to study native culture, issues and arts.
- After School Literacy Program: Established to help prepare students for the OSSLT with special emphasis placed on ESL students and students new to the standardized testing format.
- Memorial Bursary Program: Financial assistance program established to assist students who demonstrate good attendance and commitment to academics.
- Credit Recovery Programs: System and Alter Ed credit recovery programs for junior and senior students who have experienced academic failure in the past.
- ESL Reading Buddies: The program is designed to assist ESL students with their reading skills while fostering leadership skills in senior students.
- ESL Student Welcoming Committee: A program that introduces SJAM extracurricular activities to ESL grade 9 students by senior student mentors with teacher support.
- Homework Club: After-school program that provides academic assistance for all grades with special emphasis on grade 9 and ESL students.
- Nutrition Program: Ensures all our students have access to proper nutrition by providing breakfast and lunch for students who require assistance.
- NYA:WEH: Aboriginal Stay In School initiative
- Traditional Drum & Dance Program: An after-school program that introduces students to the traditional art of aboriginal drumming and dance.
- PLACES: In-school Alternative Education and Credit Recovery Program
- SHAE: Aboriginal Alternative Education School at the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre
- SISO: On-site counselors provide services to populations of newcomers with language needs.
- Walk in Closet: Program that allows students access to clothing, personal hygiene products and school supplies.
Clubs
- Art Club & Arts Festival
- Breakfast Club
- Business Education Awards
- Canadian Blood Services
- Cheerleaders
- ChessChessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Club/Chess Team - ChoirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
- Communications Club
- C.P.R. Training
- DECA
- Drug and Alcohol Education
- Environmental/Hiking Club/Recycling
- First Aid Committee
- Grad Committee
- Grad Gown Committee
- HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
Club - Home Page Club
- Knitter’s Club
- Mac Shack
- Macdonald Athletic Council
- Math Awards Luncheon
- Math Contests
- Needy Student Fund
- New York Art Trip
- Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program
- OSAID (Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving)
- Photography Club
- Radio Station - Morning Announcements
- Stage Crew
- United Way
- Visa Club
- Walk – In Closet
- Yearbook
- Badminton
- Badminton Club
- Baseball
- Basketball, Jr. - Boys
- Basketball, Sr. - Boys
- Basketball, Jr. - Girls
- Basketball, Sr. - Girls
- Cross Country
- Fitness Club (Weight Room)
- Football, Tackle
- Football, Touch - Boys
- Football, Touch - Girls
- Slo Pitch - Girls
- Soccer - Girls (Outdoor)
- Soccer Club - Girls (Indoor)
- Soccer, Sr. - Boys
- Soccer, Indoor - Sr.
- Table TennisTable tennisTable tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, Sr. - Boys - Volleyball, Jr. - Girls
- Volleyball, Sr. - Girls
- Volleyball Club
- WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, Boys