Britannia Secondary School

color box|white
founded= 1908
enrollment= 774 [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/school_perf/03939004.pdf] (January, 2008)
feeders=Britannia
Seymour
Strathcona
MacDonald
Lord Nelson
Grandview
Queen Victoria Annex
lastupdate= May 30 2006

Britannia Community Secondary School is a public community secondary school located in the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood on the east side of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The school currently enrolls approximately 750 students. Britannia Secondary is the oldest and one of the most distinguished and respected schools in Vancouver. Situated in the Commercial Drive area of Vancouver, Britannia is a part of a larger community site which includes an elementary school, public library, skating rink, fitness facility and swimming pool. Britannia is also host to the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and home to many other successful programs in academics, fine arts, leadership and academic tutoring and support. The current principal is Ms. Beverly Seed.

Current

Britannia is a school of approximately 750 students through grades 8 to 12. Britannia Secondary school has a multicultural student population. Although the predominant population is reflective of the Italian-Canadian neighborhood it resides in, most of its students are Asian.Fact|date=December 2007 Britannia's current principal is Ms. Beverly Seed.

History

Britannia, the second high school to be constructed in Vancouver is now the oldest remaining secondary school. The first classes were held in the Admiral Seymour building in September, 1908. The school moved to the then partially completed Britannia building in 1910. The school colours of red, green, and white and the school motto "Per Vias Rectas", which means 'straight forward', were adopted at this time.

In September, 1955, the gymnasium and cafeteria were added to the 'old building'. It was also at this time that Grades 8 and 9 students were first admitted for enrollment. During the 1966-67 school year, a new wing was constructed providing additional Science, Technology Education, Home Economics, and Business Education classrooms. The new wing now also houses the School Office. The new wing was connected to the old buliding by a walkway which most students call "the Skywalk."

The year 1974 was a most important year in their school history. It was during this year that Britannia Secondary became Britannia Elementary-Secondary School . The elementary section opened its doors on January 9, 1975 to 16 staff and 370 students making a combined student enrollment of approximately 1800. This was also the year of incorporation of the Britannia Community Center Society and the year that Britannia became a Community School.

Britannia just celebrated its in 2008. Britannia alumni assisted in the planning of the celebration.

Mission Statement

The mission of Britannia Secondary Community School is to graduate responsible citizens with the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary to fulfill their potential for lifelong success.

The Britannia Community Code

Respect:All Britannia community members - staff, students, volunteers, visitors, and parents - shall RESPECT one another and the environment we share.

Rights:We have the RIGHT to be treated with respect and dignity and to be free from any form of discrimination, to feel safe and secure both physically and emotionally, to learn, to have all personal property treated with respect and to a clean environment in a welcoming school.

Responsibilities:We are RESPONSIBLE for accepting the differences of others including race, religion, sexual orientation, customs, ideas and appearances, for behaving in a manner that promotes a safe and comfortable environment free of fear, threat, intimidation and emotional or physical harm, for attending all classes on time, prepared to work to the best of our ability, for respecting the property of others, the school and community, for keeping our environment clean and making Britannia a warm and friendly community.

Recognition:All Britannia community members are entitled to RECOGNITION of their achievements, accomplishments and contributions towards making Britannia a positive learning environment.

On May, 2008, the school put up these codes separately around the school so that kids can read them and respect these codes.

Enriched Courses

Britannia offers an International Baccalaureate program for grades 11–12 and a Venture program for grades 8–10. Britannia and Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School are the only two public secondary schools in Vancouver to offer the IB Program.

The Venture program, which is based on the mini school concept, prepares students intending to enter IB in grade 11 to gain leadership skills, develop teamwork and offers a more enriching educational experience than regular classes.

International Baccalaureate

*internationally recognized academic program
*designed for students who intend to continue their education at college or university
*some course content is at first-year university level
*some course credits may be used in place of Ministry of Education course credits
*courses can be taken in preparation for the IB Diploma or as individual enrichment courses
*courses are offered over two years

Venture

*for students who wish to eventually pursue the International Baccalaureate program, this program supplies an excellent foundation
*provides motivated and creative students withan enriched academic experience in grades 8-10
*students selected are grouped together for their core academic subjects in grades 8 and 9
*Venture 10 offers two options, a Diploma option or a Certificate option
*emphasizes Global Education, the development of social and environmental responsibility

Alternative Programs

Britannia offers many alternative programs including Britannia Hockey Academy, Streetfront, 8J/9J, Outreach, Aries, and Cedar Walk.

[http://britannia.vsb.bc.ca/hockey/index.htm Britannia Hockey Academy (BHA)]

*first sport-focused academy in the Vancouver school system
*program combines coursework with a graduation programs
*licensed Hockey Canada Skills Academy (HCSA)
*students gain P.E. credits
*ideal to have this program in Britannia as it has an ice arena and weight room on-site.

Streetfront

*committed to assisting students capable of age appropriate grade level work
*most students had difficulty with academics, attendance or personal based problems
*ideal for students who have a positive outlook on life

8J/9J

*semestered, academic, fine arts program
*located in a portable classroom on the grounds of the school
*three year program (grades 8, 9 and 10)
*fine arts component includes both visual and performing arts
*targets inner city youth aged 13 to 16 with strong academic and artistic abilities that have experienced difficulty in the main stream school setting
*intends that each successful student will complete their grade 10 requirement and be prepared to complete graduating grade 12

Outreach

*for First Nations students
*provides a supportive setting for social , behavioral, academic, physical and cultural development
*for students 14 to 19 years old
*staff work closely with students and their families to ensure both school success and personal growth
*students participate in a wide range of cultural enrichment, recreational and Field Studies activities.

Aries

*jointly operated by the Urban Native Youth Association and the Vancouver School Board
*limited to students aged 13-18
*designed particularly for native youth
*entry to the program is based on referrals by social workers to the Day Program Screening Committee.

Cedar Walk

*serves First Nations students aged 13-18
*program has one teacher, one program coordinator and two youth workers
*respectful, safe and culturally relevant environment makes it a positive experience
*core subjects up to grade 10 and beyond are offered to increase students’ literacy and numeracy
*vocational focus help’s students learn pre-employment skills and gives them work experience
*entry through referral by social worker to the Day Program Screening Committee.

Facilities

Britannia Secondary is unique in having community center facilities within the complex. The Britannia Community Centre boasts an ice rink, swimming pool, several gyms, a weight room and fitness center, and Britannia Secondary students often use these facilities in Physical Education classes and in extracurricular activities.

Britannia also has a library within the Community Centre that serves as the school library and is also as a Vancouver Public Library. It is one of, if not the, largest secondary school library in the school district. Students can access the library's resources through their Student Library card as well as a Vancouver Public Library card. The community can also access the resources with a Vancouver Public Library card.

Extracurricular

Sports

Britannia is predominately a AA school in terms of athletics. In 1974, Britannia hosted their first basketball tournament called the Britannia Invitational Basketball Tournament. Since then, the tournament is hosted annually and it has been a great success to Britannia.

On March 8, 2008, The Britannia Senior Boys Basketball team won the British Columbia AA Provincial Basketball Tournament by beating the Windsor Dukes 81-73. That was the first time in their school history that they have won a championship provincially.

Britannia has teams for the following sports:

*Badminton
*Basketball
*Cross Country
*Rugby
*Soccer
*Table Tennis
*Tennis
*Track and Field
*Ultimate Frisbee
*Volleyball

Student Council

Britannia's Student Council is the oldest Student Council in British Columbia. The Student Council controls the events taking place in the school, including dances, pep rallies, and spirit weeks.

Clubs

*Band
*Environment Club
*Leo Club
*Yearbook Club
*Global City Club
*Business Club
*Debate Club
* [http://britannia.vsb.bc.ca/clubs_sports/BCIC_website/homepage/homepage.html Community Involvement Club]

The Cave

The Cave is Britannia's school owned convenience store. It opened in November 1993. The name of the store was determined by a student contest. It was felt that The Cave was an appropriate name for the store because firstly, it is the place of hibernation for Bruins and secondly, the name is synonymous with a 70's Vancouver nightspot, which was the place to go to meet up with friends and have a good time.

Notable Alumni

Notes

General
*cite web|url=http://britannia.vsb.bc.ca|title=Britannia Secondary School

External links

* [http://britannia.vsb.bc.ca Britannia Secondary]
* [http://www.vsb.bc.ca/schools/Secondaryschools/03939004/default.htm Vancouver School Board—Britannia Secondary]
* [http://britannia.vsb.bc.ca/about_britannia/history.htm History of Britannia Secondary]
* [http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/cc/britannia/index.htm#facilities Britannia Community Centre]
* [http://britanniacentennial.com Britannia Centennial]

chool Reports - Ministry of Education

* [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/class_size/03939004.pdf Class Size]
* [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/sat_survey/2008/03939004.pdf Satisfaction Survey]
* [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/fsa/03939004.pdf Skills Assessment]