Widdifield Secondary School

Last updated
Widdifield Secondary School
Address
Widdifield Secondary School
320 Ski Club Road

North Bay
,
Ontario
,
P1B 7R2

Canada
Coordinates 46°20′07″N79°27′02″W / 46.33522°N 79.45043°W / 46.33522; -79.45043
Information
School type High school
Founded1965
School board Near North District School Board
SuperintendentRoslyn Bowness
PrincipalAlison Herst Jackson
Grades 9-12+
Enrollment734 (2016 [1] )
Language English/French
Colour(s)Red and Royal Blue   
MascotWildcat Wade
Team nameWiddifield Wildcats
Website www.nearnorthschools.ca/widdifield/

Widdifield Secondary School (WSS) was a high school located in North Bay, Ontario. It was a member of the Near North District School Board.

Contents

Overview

The school was founded in 1965 and named after Joseph Henry Widdifield, a nineteenth-century physician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for York North. It had a capacity of 1,164 students and the active student body generally ranged from 1,000 to 900. Because of the extensive area of the school zone, approximately 35-50% of students were bussed in. The school's motto was "Mens Quaerens in Corpore Sano," loosely meaning "an inquiring mind in a sound body."

Widdifield was the first school in Canada to incorporate a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)- Arts and Culture certificate program. It later obtained SHSM programs in Construction, Environment and Health and Wellness, as well as a fine arts magnet program called Arts Nipissing.

Closure

In September 2017, the Near North District School Board voted to close Widdifield, citing the declining youth population in North Bay and insufficient funding to maintain all three local high schools. [2] The decision was challenged by local parents and investigated by the Ontario Ombudsman, [3] but eventually reaffirmed in a 2019 revote. [4]

In January 2018, it was announced the school would close in June 2019. In September, it was announced that the closure would be delayed by at least one year, due to difficulties securing increased funding for the other two high schools. [5] WSS finally closed in June 2020. [6]

In 2023, the building was used as a filming location for American movie Everything's Going to Be Great. [7]

Drama

Notable alumni

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bay, Ontario</span> City in Ontario, Canada

North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military location during the Cold War. The city is located 300 kilometres (190 mi) from both Ottawa and Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Sudbury</span> City in Ontario, Canada

Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury, is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the fifth largest in Canada. It is administratively a single-tier municipality and thus is not part of any district, county, or regional municipality. The City of Greater Sudbury is separate from, but entirely surrounded by the Sudbury District. The city is also referred to as "Grand Sudbury" among Francophones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurentian University</span> Mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Laurentian University, officially Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Laurentian offers a variety of undergraduate, graduate-level, and doctorate degrees. Laurentian is the largest bilingual provider of distance education in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornlea Secondary School</span> Public school in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

Thornlea Secondary School is a public high school, in the Regional Municipality of York, that opened in 1968 and is located in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, on the northeast corner of Bayview Avenue and Willowbrook Road, just south of Highway 407.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts</span>

Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts is a Catholic arts high school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Admission to the school is granted through an audition process. Serving students from grade 7 to 12, it is one of three schools in the Toronto Catholic District School Board that is an elementary and secondary hybrid. The school has been consistently ranked as one of the top educational institutions in Ontario.

Kenneth William Richardson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 49 games in the National Hockey League with the St. Louis Blues from 1974 to 1978. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1973 to 1980, was spent in the minor leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluevale Collegiate Institute</span> High school in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Bluevale Collegiate Institute is a secondary school in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, run by the Waterloo Region District School Board. As of the 2019–2020 school year, Bluevale has an enrollment of 1,240 students. The school opened in 1972 under the direction of principal Robert Chilton, and vice-principal Charlie Wilson, initially with grades 9 through 11, adding grades 12, and then 13 in subsequent years. Bluevale's new school boundary took in students previously registered at Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute, Kitchener–Waterloo Collegiate, and Waterloo Collegiate Institute. As of 2022, the principal is Deborah Tyrrell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. Y. Jackson Secondary School (Toronto)</span> High school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

A. Y. Jackson Secondary School is a secondary school for grades 9 to 12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was opened in 1970 by the North York Board of Education, and is now operated by its successor, the Toronto District School Board. The school was named after A. Y. Jackson, a Canadian painter and one of the founders of the Group of Seven.

Cawthra Park Secondary School, also known as CPSS, is a public high school built in 1972 located in Southeast Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is one of two regional arts schools in the Peel District School Board. Cawthra Park provides instruction to students from grades 9 to 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Toronto Academy</span> High school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Central Toronto Academy (CTA); formerly Central Commerce Collegiate Institute and originally High School of Commerce and Finance is a public, semestered secondary school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in the Palmerston-Little Italy neighbourhood, it is operated by the Toronto District School Board. Before 1998, the school was part of the former Toronto Board of Education.

Gravenhurst High School is a secondary school in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada, established in 1896. It has a population of roughly 415 students. GHS is one of seven secondary schools in the Trillium Lakelands District School Board, and is the only high school in Gravenhurst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northview Heights Secondary School</span> High school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Northview Heights Secondary School, originally known as Northview Heights Collegiate Institute is a secondary school for grades 9 to 12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Toronto's north end at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Finch Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silverthorn Collegiate Institute</span> Public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Silverthorn Collegiate Institute is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the neighbourhood of Markland Wood in the former suburb of Etobicoke. It is under the sanction of the Toronto District School Board. The name comes from the Silverthorn Woods that borders to the south and the west. This was the northern limit of an old property known locally as the Silverthorn Mill Farm.

West Ferris Secondary School (WFSS) is located on Marshall Park Drive in the West Ferris area of North Bay, Ontario. It is a member of the Near North District School Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Kielburger Secondary School</span> High school in Milton, Ontario, Canada

Craig Kielburger Secondary School, is a high school in Milton, Ontario, Canada. The two-storey school features barrier-free accessibility, a triple gym, studio/theatre, food school, technical education facilities and the IB Diploma program. This school replaces E.C. Drury High School which closed in June 2012. The school is named after Craig Kielburger who founded Free the Children. Kielburger visited the school for the grand opening October 9, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic High School</span> Catholic high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic High School is a secondary school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is named after James Charles McGuigan, a Canadian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and the Archbishop of Toronto from 1934 to 1971. The school was founded by the order of the Franciscan Fathers, who recognized the need for a Catholic School in the Keele-Finch Community. It serves the Downsview neighbourhood of North York.

Jim Calarco is an actor and a media and drama instructor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. B. Beal Secondary School</span> High school in London, Ontario

The H.B. Beal Secondary School is a high school in London, Ontario. It is named after Herbert Benson Beal, the founder and first principal of the school. H.B. Beal is the second largest school in Thames Valley District School Board with almost 2,000 students currently enrolled as of 2019/20. The school property sits on almost two whole city blocks in downtown London. The actual building sits on one, while the other block is used for parking and the Athletics field including a football field and a track.

Almaguin Highlands Secondary School (AHSS) is an English public high school located in Strong, Ontario between the towns of South River, Ontario and Sundridge, Ontario. The school is part of the Near North District School Board and is responsible for the education of students in grades 9–12 in the east side of the Parry Sound District, the school serves 19 small communities and townships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Secord Secondary School</span> Secondary school in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Laura Secord Secondary School, also known simply as Laura Secord, is a public secondary school in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the corner of Niagara and Carlton Streets. Laura Secord is a part of the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN). The school was founded in 1966.

References

  1. ↑ "School Information Profile - Widdifield" (PDF). nearnorthschools.ca. Near North School Board. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  2. ↑ Galor, Shay. "Widdifield Secondary School slated for closure, 'It angers me'". CTV News Northern Ontario. CTV News. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  3. ↑ Turl, Jeff. "Near North School Board failed to follow a fair and transparent process in closing Widdifield says Ontario Ombudsman". baytoday.ca. Bay Today. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  4. ↑ White, Erik. "Forced to vote again on high school closure, North Bay school board reaffirms 2017 decision". cbc.ca. CBC News. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "TIMEFRAME FOR CLOSURE OF WIDDIFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL CHANGED". nearnorthschools.ca. September 10, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  6. ↑ Taschner, Eric. "Final graduating class of Widdifield Secondary School celebrates with drive-by graduation ceremony". CTV News Northern Ontario. CTV News. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  7. ↑ Dawson, Chris. "The old Widdifield Secondary School a movie set?". baytoday.ca. Bay Today. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  8. ↑ "City Council Biography - Inside City Hall - City of North Bay" . Retrieved 2012-07-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.