John G. Diefenbaker High School

John G. Diefenbaker High School
Address
6620 4 St NW Calgary , Alberta , T2K 1C2 Canada
Coordinates	51°06′46″N114°04′12″W / 51.1127°N 114.0700°W / 51.1127; -114.0700
Information
Type	Public
Motto	Freedom, Choice, Responsibility
Established	1971
School board	Calgary Board of Education
Principal	Jason Arrell
Grades	10, 11, 12
Enrollment	1317 [1]  (2024)
•  Grade 10	476
•  Grade 11	450
•  Grade 12	391
Campus	Urban
Colour(s)	Blue and White
Team name	Chiefs
Communities served	Beddington Heights, Evanston, Huntington Hills, Kincora, Thorncliffe, MacEwan Glen, Sage Hill, Sandstone Valley, Panorama Hills (IB PROGRAMME ONLY), Harvest Hills (IB PROGRAMME ONLY)
Feeder schools	Colonel Irvine Jr. High, Georges P. Vanier Jr. High, Sir John A. Macdonald Jr. High, Captain Nichola Goddard Jr. High, Balmoral Middle School, F.E. Osborne Junior High School, Simon Fraser Junior High School.
Website	school.cbe.ab.ca/school/johngdiefenbaker

John G. Diefenbaker High School is a senior public high school located at 6620 4th Street N.W., Huntington Hills, Calgary, Alberta. The school is named after the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, John G. Diefenbaker. The school is part of the Calgary Board of Education. The school graduates around 400 Grade 12 students every year, with a 91% graduation rate. As of September 2024, there are 1317 students. ^[2]

The school is part of the Action for Bright Children Society. ^[3]

Academics

John G. Diefenbaker High School is one of the five International Baccalaureate high schools in Calgary. On the Provincial Diplomas, John G. Diefenbaker performs well and is in the top five High Schools in the CBE. ^[4]

Clubs

Competitive	Service	Interests
Concert Band Symphonic Ensemble Jazz Band Chamber Choir Concert Choir Vocal Jazz Girls Choir Guys Choir Math Contests Debate Club Speech Club Basketball Intramurals Stanley Can floor hockey intramurals Science Olympics Science fair FTC Robotics Club	Student Council (Leadership) Diefenbaker News (Dief Days) Yearbook Youth Volunteer Corps Salvation Army MAC Africa Charity Dance Silent Auction Environmental Club (Green Chiefs) DSA (Desi Societal Association) Culture and Diversity Club Brave Dogs	Amnesty International Club Graduation Committee Bridging the Gap Seniors Club Dungeons & Dragons Club Art Club Christian Club Chinese Culture Club Knitting Club Ping Pong With Chong

Athletics

Diefenbaker is known for their badminton and wrestling programs. John G. Diefenbaker Senior High Schools' wrestling team is among the best in Alberta, having won seven city championships as well as five Provincial titles. Its wrestling team was also the top ranked High School team in Canada in 2007, 2008 & 2009 according to the Canadian National Wrestling Association, having a large number of its members compete and obtain medals at the National Championships. In 2008 they set a Calgary record with 120 points in the city championships. In addition, Diefenbaker has won city championships in girls' rugby, badminton, and in 2011 the Senior Girls Field Hockey team won the first ever Division 1 city championship against Western Canada beating them 1-0 in overtime. Diefenbaker was also able to capture the DIV 3 city championship for SR boys volleyball in 2015-2016 and the DIV 3 city championship for SR girls basketball in 2017-2018. ^[5]

Music program

Diefenbaker High School band program consists of the Concert Band, and Jazz 1 and 2 Bands. Mr. Rod Pauls was the Director of Bands in the school until 2010. In 2010–2011 school year, Mr. Kenneth Thackrey started as the Director of Bands. His first concert with the school was on November 24, 2010. In September 2024, Mr. Harry Faunt took over as Director of Bands. ^[6] His first concert with the school was the JGD Winter Concert on November 26, 2024. ^[7]

The Choir program consists of a Concert Choir and previously consisted of a Chamber Choir and Vocal Jazz. Mr. Laurie Schwartz was the Director of Choirs until the 2023-2024 school year. ^[8] Harry Faunt also took over the position of Director of Choirs in September 2024. The Concert Choir performed with the school's bands in the November 26, 2024 winter concert.

The Music Department holds two annual public concerts: one in the fall or winter, and one in the spring.

Notable alumni

• Jessie Foster – international endangered missing person and victim of human trafficking. Jessie graduated from JGD in 2002, was lured to the US in 2005 and has been missing since 2006. Jessie is Canada's 'Poster-Child' for this crime.
• Chris Gailus – television news anchor
• Mike Green – retired professional ice hockey player, played with the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers.
• Ryan Radmanovich – professional baseball player, played with the Seattle Mariners
• Jeff Zimmerman – professional baseball player, played with the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners, MLB All-Star 1999
• Daniel Li – current undergraduate student at the University of Waterloo
• Adrian Jiang – current undergraduate student at the University of Alberta

References

1. "View School Profile".
2. "View School Profile". www.cbe.ab.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
3. "Gifted Schools - Calgary". www.abccalgary.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-26.
4. "Calgary Board of Education - Student Results". Archived from the original on 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
5. "Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association : Powered by GOALLINE". calgaryhighschoolsports.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
6. "Our Staff". John G. Diefenbaker High School. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
7. "JGD Update Dec. 2-6 | Winter Concert, UN News, Christmas Resources". John G. Diefenbaker High School. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
8. Westwinds Music Society Archived 2008-10-03 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• The school's website