Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School
Encyclopedia
Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School ("TASSS") is located at 1009 Armour Road North in Peterborough
, Ontario
, Canada
. It was founded in 1967 and is located on 29 acres (117,358.9 m²) bordering on the Otonabee River. It is a member of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
.
, and each chose land on the Otonabee River. Thomas and Frances developed their home, "Auburn," on Lot 1, Concession 1, raising a family of 10 children to adulthood and assisting other settlers. Thomas Stewart became a prominent and influential citizen in the area until his death in 1847 from typhoid fever.
An additional public board meeting will take place at 7PM on August 25, 2011, which will allow for public input and time for trustees to discuss the issues. A vote to decide which school will actually close will take place at a public board meeting on September 29, 2011. Trustees have asked that additional meetings be scheduled before September 29, 2011.
A grass-roots organization has been formed to protest the closure of the school. More information is available at: http://putstudentsfirst.ca Upcoming meetings are scheduled to be held at TASSS on August 3, 17 and 31 in the North Wing Cafeteria at 7PM
"At the beginning of class, I saw the disability first, now I see the person."
Amigos are students without disabilities. They are matched with students from Learning and Life Skills classes on the basis of mutual interests. The goal is to develop mutually satisfying friendships.
Amigos and students spend at least one hour a week together over the lunch hour - hanging out with friends, having lunch, attending a school activity, participating in whatever is going on. The whole group gets together once per month.
Amigos have the chance to make a difference in someone else's life, appreciate someone for who they are, and at the same time make their school a more inclusive, accepting place.
The house system was designed to create fun and encourage positive spirit at Thomas A. Stewart. The House program included activities in athletics, arts and academics.
The four houses and house colours were:
The house system was discontinued at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.*
Major Junior A Hockey Club attend the school. Some notable Petes who attended TAS include:
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, 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....
, Canada
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...
. It was founded in 1967 and is located on 29 acres (117,358.9 m²) bordering on the Otonabee River. It is a member of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board has its headquarters in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board is the public, English language school board that takes in the regions of the previous Peterborough County Board of Education and the...
.
History
TASSS is named after Thomas Alexander Stewart (1786-1847). Thomas and his wife, Frances Browne Stewart (1794-1872), emigrated to Canada with their children and Thomas' brother-in-law and former business partner, Robert Reid, and his family. The party of 27 set sail from Belfast Lough on June 1, 1822. Seven weeks were spent on the ship before reaching Quebec. From Quebec they travelled to Kingston, and then on to York, where Stewart and Reid were each granted 1200 acres (4.9 km²), provided they settled in an unsurveyed township. Douro Township in Peterborough County was suggested as a promising region. On September 9, 1822, Stewart and Reid travelled to the area with surveyor Richard BirdsallRichard Birdsall
Richard Birdsall was an English-born immigrant to Upper Canada who became a surveyor in Canada.Birdsall surveyed many townships in Upper Canada and eventually made his home in one of them; Peterborough County...
, and each chose land on the Otonabee River. Thomas and Frances developed their home, "Auburn," on Lot 1, Concession 1, raising a family of 10 children to adulthood and assisting other settlers. Thomas Stewart became a prominent and influential citizen in the area until his death in 1847 from typhoid fever.
Campus and Facilities
The school is located on 29 acres (117,358.9 m²) bordering on the Otonabee River. TASS is a 219,238 sq. ft. building containing 59 classrooms. The auditorium can hold 800 students. It was designed by architects Craig, Zeidler and Strong to house between 1200 and 1400 students comfortably, but has held in excess of 1600 students during the early 1980s.Indoors
Its indoor facilities include:- 2 art studios
- music studio
- drama studio
- foods lab
- 3 computer labs
- 6 science labs
- library
- 3 gymnasiums
- 7 technology classrooms
- 2 cafeterias
- "The Magic Kitchen", the former restaurant run by the Hospitality and Tourism Technology class now only prepares soup each Friday.
Outdoors
Outdoors, the school boasts:- track
- 2 upper playing fields
- lower "island" playing field has 2 baseball diamonds
- 2 tennis courts
- 2 greenhouses
- boathouse with canoes
- Easy access to the Otonabee River
Students
Students come from an equal mix of rural and urban homes. TAS has students from the communities of Ashburnham, Douro, Keene, Otonabee, Emily, and a small percentage from the Hiawatha Lake Reserve on the shore of Rice Lake. Approximately 75% of the students are bused to school.Declining Enrolment
In 2000-01, the school had 1,097 fulltime students and it has seen a steady decline in the past decade. The projected enrolment in September 2011 is 600 students. Enrolment is expected to continue its downward spiral to be 385 full-time students in 2015. This would be approximately 900-1000 students less than full capacity of the building.Projected School Closure
On June 20, 2011, The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board announced publicly that Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School was its preferred choice of Peterborough area schools to close in September 2012, due to declining enrolment. This decision was read into record by Superintendent Peter Mangold at a meeting of the board on June 23, 2011.An additional public board meeting will take place at 7PM on August 25, 2011, which will allow for public input and time for trustees to discuss the issues. A vote to decide which school will actually close will take place at a public board meeting on September 29, 2011. Trustees have asked that additional meetings be scheduled before September 29, 2011.
A grass-roots organization has been formed to protest the closure of the school. More information is available at: http://putstudentsfirst.ca Upcoming meetings are scheduled to be held at TASSS on August 3, 17 and 31 in the North Wing Cafeteria at 7PM
Amigos Program
This high school project is designed to:- increase the opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities to participate fully in the life of their school
- assist all students to develop their communication and social skills
- develop natural relationships between students who have a disability and their peers who don't
"At the beginning of class, I saw the disability first, now I see the person."
Amigos are students without disabilities. They are matched with students from Learning and Life Skills classes on the basis of mutual interests. The goal is to develop mutually satisfying friendships.
Amigos and students spend at least one hour a week together over the lunch hour - hanging out with friends, having lunch, attending a school activity, participating in whatever is going on. The whole group gets together once per month.
Amigos have the chance to make a difference in someone else's life, appreciate someone for who they are, and at the same time make their school a more inclusive, accepting place.
House System
A house system was established in 2004. There were originally 8 houses. This number was reduced to 4 houses at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year.The house system was designed to create fun and encourage positive spirit at Thomas A. Stewart. The House program included activities in athletics, arts and academics.
The four houses and house colours were:
- McCloy - Red
- Lennox - Green
- Moody - Yellow
- Connacher - Blue
The house system was discontinued at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.*
Peterborough Petes
High-school age members of the Peterborough PetesPeterborough Petes
The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.-History:...
Major Junior A Hockey Club attend the school. Some notable Petes who attended TAS include:
- Tie DomiTie DomiTahir "Tie" Domi is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. During a sixteen-year NHL career when he was known for his role as an enforcer, he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets....
- Steve YzermanSteve YzermanStephen Gregory "Steve" Yzerman is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and current general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League...
- Chris ProngerChris ProngerChristopher Robert Pronger is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and captain for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Originally selected 2nd overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Pronger has played for Hartford, the St...
- Kris KingKris KingKristopher King is a former Canadian NHL hockey player. He played 14 seasons in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Chicago Blackhawks...
- Mike RicciMike RicciMichael Ricci is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks and Phoenix Coyotes....
- Luke RichardsonLuke RichardsonLuke Glen Richardson is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player. Richardson played for 21 seasons in the National Hockey League...
- Jody HullJody HullJody Hull is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger who is currently an assistant coach with the Peterborough Petes.-Playing career:...
- Ron TugnuttRon TugnuttRonald Frederick Bradley Tugnutt is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the NHL with several teams from 1987–2004 and is currently an assistant coach with the OHL's Peterborough Petes.-Early years:Tugnutt was born in Scarborough, Ontario and played three seasons...
- Kay WhitmoreKay WhitmoreKay Whitmore is a former Canadian ice hockey goaltender.-Hockey career:Whitmore played Junior A hockey with the Sudbury Legion. In 1983-84, he joined OHL's Peterborough Petes and went 17-8-0 as a major junior rookie. The following season, he paced the league with 53 games by a goalie and 35 wins....
- Dave ReidDave ReidDavid William Reid David William Reid David William Reid (born (May 15, 1964) is a retired Canadian ice hockey Left wing who played in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche.-Playing career:...
- Jordan StaalJordan StaalJordan Lee Staal is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League...
- Eric StaalEric StaalEric Craig Staal is a Canadian ice hockey player and the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League...