Aldershot School

Aldershot School is a grade 7–12 school located in Burlington, Ontario. Although the current school building was constructed in the mid-1900s, the original Aldershot School was built in 1870,^[1] making the name the oldest in continual use for an educational institution in Halton region.

Originally a high school (grades 9-13, later cut back to grade 12), grades 7 and 8 were added in 2001 to make use of spare capacity. The school's enrollment is approximately 500 high school students and 200 elementary school students. Since 2003, the school has continually made dramatic improvements in student achievement and student provisions.

Aldershot vision

The Aldershot Vision reads: "Aldershot is an inclusive environment that develops and challenges individuals to learn and live responsibly in a global community."

The school's Latin motto, Veritas Nos Ducat (meaning "Truth Shall Lead Us"), speaks to a remarkable honour system in place during the 1970s. At that time, any misplaced belonging in the school was essentially guaranteed to make its way to its rightful owner, and in some cases, take-home exams were permitted, bearing that the student not use outside information and write the school motto on his or her test. The remnant of this implicit system is in the school's also traditional, annual Honour Society listing, which notices students who have achieved distinctions in academics at a level of above 80% in every course taken.

Rankings

Scores based on EQAO scores and literacy tests place Aldershot far and above other schools in Halton, having been ranked first for performance by the Halton District School Board's (HDSB) annual reviews. It was the top rated school in Halton according to the Toronto Sun (2007), and the 13th best school in the Greater Toronto Area. From 2003 onward, the school's rankings have fluctuated within the top 50 schools in the province, arriving at the 2007 rank of No. 16, and 2008 rank of No. 12 school in Ontario, according to the Fraser Institute.^[2]

School events

Annual events run by the school's Student Leadership Team include Relay For Life (May), Spring Carnival (May), and Beach Day (March). Other regular events include pep rallies.

In recent years, fewer events have been organized by the student council (formerly the SLT), as there has been a decline in student interest.

There are also many "school spirit" days throughout the year, during which students may partake in an activity to show their school spirit (e.g. Jersey Day, Ugly Sweater Day, "Fancy" Day).

The 2010 Prom was not an official school event; the grade 12 prom has never been and will never again be a school event.

Athletics

Female sports teams at the school are often called the Aldershot "Lady Lions". Hockey and baseball teams are referred to as the "Aces". All other teams are referred to as the Lions.

The school's performance in athletics has been marked by numerous regional wins, despite being one of the smallest schools in Halton (in Halton D3 football, Aldershot is half the size of the next smallest school, Lester B. Pearson) such as senior boys' volleyball OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) favorites in 2006 and 2007.

Aldershot has an extremely successful history when it comes to football. They dominated in the 1980s, and have won 11 Halton championships. The 2004 Aldershot junior football team is considered by many to be the most dominant junior program (Division 2) of all time in Halton. The team averaged over 40 points per game and had an undefeated record of 13-0 (including play-off games). That year, Aldershot's senior team also posted an impressive 6-2 record, going on to barely lose in the semi-finals. However, since the success of both teams in 2004, Aldershot's football teams have a combined record of 28-0.

The Aldershot men's rugby team has been very successful in recent years, making it to the semifinals every year with the number one seed finishing the regular season. The women's rugby team won the championship in their division two years in a row and have been extremely dominant since their beginning in 2010.

Music

Aldershot has had a significant presence in music competitions,^[3] achieving gold, silver and bronze medals in regional and provincial competitions such as MusicFest Canada and the OBA Concert Band Festival, at both junior and senior band levels. In 2008, both Junior and Senior Bands achieved a gold standard level at MusicFest Canada. In 2009, the school's Senior Concert band again achieved a gold standard level at MusicFest while the Junior band achieved silver. At the 2009 MusicFest Nationals held in Markham, Ontario, the Senior Concert Band, under the direction of David Willms, achieved the gold standard, a highly difficult and rewarding placement to receive. They continued to achieve a gold level at MusicFest Canada in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, the Senior Concert Band won gold at the regional competition at Mohawk College; the Junior Concert Band won silver. The Senior Concert Band went on to the national competition in Ottawa and came home with a silver.

The school has a Senior Concert Band (grades 9-12), Junior Concert Band (grades 7-9), Choir (grades 7-12), Jazz Band, and occasionally a String Ensemble. The groups all play at an annual Music Night and sometimes at other events or festivals.

Other accomplishments

Aldershot has been noted within the Halton Board and even the province of Ontario for its innovative and unique initiatives. These include the ECO Studies program^[4] - a Specialist High Skills Major program in conjunction with the Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario - and the consistent integration of both elementary and secondary students through Halton's first Link Crew program, a creative breakfast program for students, and a range of extracurricular options on par with schools of over 2000 students.

In 2011 the school introduced the Can-Fit program. This program allows grade 11 and 12 students from across the board to become certified personal trainers and food and wellness experts. This program has been a big draw for the school.

Miscellaneous

The equivalent of a student council at Aldershot has been called the Aldershot Student Leadership Team (SLT) for decades, and is unique amongst other provincial high schools for not only having a non-traditional name, but a non-traditional structure, with no such designations as President, Prime Minister, etc. However, in 2012 a more traditional model was taken on, with president Ida Ji heading up the committee.

The Aldershot School mascot is a stylized golden lion, most often represented clawing upward to a stylized medieval crown.^[5] A traditional symbol/marking at the school is a simplified pawprint (consisting of four circular shapes).

The first Student Trustee to come from Aldershot was elected to the HDSB as 2007-2008 Student Trustee Jason Karmody.^[6]

In 2001 Aldershot became a controversial 7-12 school, changing its student enrollment from grades 9-12 grades 7-12. Many older students and parents felt that the younger students were not prepared to handle the pressures involved in going to a high school. The move was made to prevent Aldershot from being closed down. Ten years later, the transition has resulted in a vibrant and inclusive school community that values the contributions of both the elementary and secondary students.

In 2012, Aldershot received many complaints on the lack of air conditioning throughout the facility. Many students have complained that the intense heat in the school is a health hazard and causes distractions when attempting to work. The Halton board administration has ensured the students that they will handle the situation promptly. Halton Board administration staff stated, "We are working hard to receive funding for an air conditioning system across the school, and we have confidence that a proper system will be rolled out in late 2014".

Notable alumni

• Melanie Booth, Canadian Women's Soccer Team player^[7]
• Josh Bradford, guitarist for the band Silverstein
• Kyle Burns, director, writer
• Jim Carrey, actor
• Peter Crosbie, professional hockey player
• Gordon Deppe, guitarist for the band Spoons
• Sandy Horne, bass guitarist for the band Spoons
• Rob MacIsaac, President of Hamilton Health Sciences
• Chris Schultz, football player
• Brett Wickens, Creative Director^[8] and founding member of the band Spoons; founder of Ceramic Hello

See also

• List of high schools in Ontario
• Halton District School Board
• Aldershot, Ontario

External links

• Official website
• HDSB homepage

References