Vista Heights Public School
Encyclopedia
Vista Heights Public School is an elementary school in Mississauga
, Ontario
, Canada
that offers classes from Kindergarten to Grade 5. Built in 1957 as part of the Vista Heights suburb, the school was originally designed as a Grade 1–6 school for approximately 300 students. It has since undergone several significant expansions, added kindergarten, removed Grade 6, and is now home to approximately 680 students, half of whom are enrolled in a French immersion program.
. However, after the Second World War, a burgeoning post-war population looking for new housing convinced developers to build two of the first suburbs in Canada beside Streetsville. One of these was the proposed Vista Heights development, but before the village council would grant approval for it, the councillors made the unprecedented requirement that the developer also had to build a primary public school as part of the development. (Regular practice since then is that the provincial Ministry of Education provides a grant of money to the local school board to build public schools.)
Construction of houses in the Vista Heights area began in 1955, and Vista Heights Public School was subsequently opened in 1957, offering classes for primary grades 1 to 6. In 1961, kindergarten was added to the curriculum.
When it opened, the school was an L-shaped building consisting of about a dozen classrooms and an office, with a small gymnasium at the intersection of the two wings. A swing set, two baseball diamonds and a soccer field provided recreational space for recess. During the winter, an outdoor ice rink was built and maintained by volunteers. (This was discontinued in the 1970s due to warmer winters, but during the winter of 2007, an ice rink was again built on the soccer pitch.)
In the 1980s, the building was enlarged and modified to a C-shape with the addition of another wing, and two of the classrooms were converted into a small library.
In the 1990s, the school program was modified to offer a French immersion program to about half of the students (360 of 681 in the 2009-2010 school year).
In 1993, Canadian author Eric Walters
wrote his first book "Stand Your Ground" about the Grade 5 class he was teaching this year.
In 2005, a much-needed expansion intended to replace the small 1950s-era gymnasium with a larger space and replace several portables on the school grounds with permanent classrooms was announced. Set to be completed by 2007, the project was put on hold while more portables were put in place to accommodate a rapidly growing student body.
In 2006, the school celebrated its 50th birthday with an alumni reunion at which Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion
recalled the first days of the school.
In 2008, it was announced that Grade 6 would be removed from the curriculum at the end of the 2008–2009 school year. In June 2009, at the request of the students, separate graduation ceremonies were held for the Grade 5 class and the final Grade 6 class.
In 2009, the expansion initiative put on hold three years earlier was recommenced.
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
, 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...
that offers classes from Kindergarten to Grade 5. Built in 1957 as part of the Vista Heights suburb, the school was originally designed as a Grade 1–6 school for approximately 300 students. It has since undergone several significant expansions, added kindergarten, removed Grade 6, and is now home to approximately 680 students, half of whom are enrolled in a French immersion program.
History
Before 1955, Streetsville was a small rural village built along the Credit RiverCredit River
The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately 1,000 km²...
. However, after the Second World War, a burgeoning post-war population looking for new housing convinced developers to build two of the first suburbs in Canada beside Streetsville. One of these was the proposed Vista Heights development, but before the village council would grant approval for it, the councillors made the unprecedented requirement that the developer also had to build a primary public school as part of the development. (Regular practice since then is that the provincial Ministry of Education provides a grant of money to the local school board to build public schools.)
Construction of houses in the Vista Heights area began in 1955, and Vista Heights Public School was subsequently opened in 1957, offering classes for primary grades 1 to 6. In 1961, kindergarten was added to the curriculum.
When it opened, the school was an L-shaped building consisting of about a dozen classrooms and an office, with a small gymnasium at the intersection of the two wings. A swing set, two baseball diamonds and a soccer field provided recreational space for recess. During the winter, an outdoor ice rink was built and maintained by volunteers. (This was discontinued in the 1970s due to warmer winters, but during the winter of 2007, an ice rink was again built on the soccer pitch.)
In the 1980s, the building was enlarged and modified to a C-shape with the addition of another wing, and two of the classrooms were converted into a small library.
In the 1990s, the school program was modified to offer a French immersion program to about half of the students (360 of 681 in the 2009-2010 school year).
In 1993, Canadian author Eric Walters
Eric Walters
Eric Robert Walters is a Canadian author of children's literature. His novels have been enthusiastically received by children and young adults and critically acclaimed by teachers, reviewers and parents.-Background:...
wrote his first book "Stand Your Ground" about the Grade 5 class he was teaching this year.
In 2005, a much-needed expansion intended to replace the small 1950s-era gymnasium with a larger space and replace several portables on the school grounds with permanent classrooms was announced. Set to be completed by 2007, the project was put on hold while more portables were put in place to accommodate a rapidly growing student body.
In 2006, the school celebrated its 50th birthday with an alumni reunion at which Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion
Hazel McCallion
Hazel McCallion, née Joueneaux, CM is the mayor of Mississauga, Ontario. McCallion has been Mississauga's mayor for years, holding office since 1978...
recalled the first days of the school.
In 2008, it was announced that Grade 6 would be removed from the curriculum at the end of the 2008–2009 school year. In June 2009, at the request of the students, separate graduation ceremonies were held for the Grade 5 class and the final Grade 6 class.
In 2009, the expansion initiative put on hold three years earlier was recommenced.
External links
- http://qps.peelschools.org/QuickPlace/vistaheights_ps/Main.nsf/h_Toc/afc70693e603ea1385256e99006ca2b0/?OpenDocument at the Peel District School BoardPeel District School BoardPeel District School Board is a Canadian public board of education for the Peel Regional Municipality, headquartered in the HJA Brown Education Centre in Mississauga...
website