Mount Douglas Secondary School

Mount Douglas Secondary School is a traditional four-year public secondary school located in Saanich, British Columbia, Canada, and serving the Greater Victoria School District. It is often referred to colloquially as "Mount Doug". With a student body of around twelve hundred, the school is considered an average-sized high school for Greater Victoria.

Academically, Mount Doug is consistently ranked as one of the best fifty public schools across the nation. The school is also known for its sports teams. Due to the short distance between the Greater Victoria area and Western Washington, the Junior Varsity and Varsity football teams often travel south to the United States to compete against more teams that offer stronger competition, usually coming home with a win.

The senior boys soccer team has enjoyed considerable success since the establishment of the school. This team has come close on numerous occasions to qualifying for AAA provincials. Although Mount Doug may excel in all sports teams, the RAMS Senior Volleyball team has placed first on numerous occasions in B.C. and many of the team members have placed very high in Canada. Mount Doug is also known for its students' excellent academics.

History

First founded in 1931, Mount Doug has moved buildings over the years, starting first at the current Cedar Hill Middle School Campus. In 1970, MD moved into the former Gordon Head Junior Secondary School building after that school relocated to the newly-constructed Arbutus Middle School campus. The informal motto of the school, as printed on shirts and other promotional material during the early 1970s, was "Mount Doug is High."

The Mt. Doug building is still in use today, but seven portable classrooms are also attached to the school and it is still in need of an expansion. In 2003, the school changed from a Senior Secondary model, teaching grades 11 and 12, back to the current and original grades 9 to 12 structure.

Academic programs

Mount Doug is a host campus for the Challenge program, which offers students of gifted and talented learning the opportunity to learn in a classroom environment adapted to their unique needs. It is one of two schools in the district, along with Esquimalt High School, to offer it. MD also runs optional Honors and AP programs in addition to the Challenge program.

There are 81 full-time teachers employed at MD. The school day starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:04 p.m., with early out at 1:45 p.m. on Fridays. Each class is 82 minutes long and there are four blocks per day. A full timetable would consist of eight 82-minute classes over two semesters each year. The first semester runs from September to the end of January and the second runs from February to June. For variety, the two morning blocks and the two afternoon blocks each semester 'flip' every other day (i.e. Monday/Wednesday/Friday blocks are AB CD, while Tuesday/Thursday blocks are BA DC).

Athletic programs

The athletic teams are the "Mount Doug Rams"

Football:

Mount Douglas fields both Varsity (Grade 11-12) and Junior Varsity (Grade 9-10) teams. The teams compete under the rules of the British Columbia High School Football Association (BCHSFA).

2009 saw the most successful year to date for both the Rams Varsity and Junior Varsity football teams. Playing in the 'AA' division of the BCHSFA, both teams went undefeated on their respective seasons culminating with each team winning the Provincial Championship at their respective level. Present and future star, grade 12 (as of 2011), Terrell Davis was outstanding in both victories scoring a total of 8 TD's; four in each of the two finals.(Vancouver Province, Dec 6, 2009)

Note: This list does not include sports which are currently clubs and thus not officially recognized in the BC Inter-Scholastic Athletics Program. These "club" sports include mountain biking, skiing, chess, foraging, the school newspaper, yearbook, choir, jazz band, drama club, debate team, improv team, and the math club.

Varsity athletics

• American Football
• Cross Country
• Track and Field
• Soccer
• Rowing
• Field Hockey
• Rugby union
• Basketball
• Volleyball
• Golf
• Akido
• Tennis
• Badminton
• Bowling
• Softball
• Swimming
• Dance
• Curling
• Tennis
• Cheerleading

Junior Varsity athletics

• Volleyball
• Cross Country
• Rowing
• American Football
• Rugby union
• Swimming
• Soccer
• Basketball
• Dance
• Golf
• Track and Field
• Cheerleading

Facilities and resources

Sports

• Indoor gym
• Access to university swimming pool and turf
• Football field
• Access to all-weather track
• Weight training facilities
• Baseball field
• Soccer field

Arts

• Dance studio
• Darkroom
• Digital media
• Costume closet
• Computer Drafting (CAD) Lab
• Drama Annex
• Band Room

Vocational shops

• Auto shop
• Wood shop
• Small engine shop

Other

• Library
• Career Center
• Post Secondary Opportunity Center (includes scholarship information)
• Photography laboratory with darkroom
• 4 computer laboratories
• Leadership office
• S M Teacher lounge
• Multi Purpose Room

Famous alumni

• Nelly Furtado - recording artist/songwriter
• Russ Courtnall - Hockey Player (Class of 83)
• Michael J. Bryant - former Ontario Attorney General (Class of 84)
• David Foster - Music Producer
• Steve Nash - (Attended for two months) NBA Basketball Player (Phoenix Suns)(was scouted by SMUS)
• Michael Ross - Former spy and bestselling author/writer
• Riyo Mori - Miss Universe 2007 (Miss Japan)
• Jeff Mallett-Former president and chief operating officer of Internet media giant Yahoo! Inc.(Class of 82)
• Mel Bridgman - Hockey Player
• Ida Chong - British Columbia MLA and Cabinet Minister
• Simon Keith - Soccer Player
• Beau Mirchoff - actor

External links

• Mount Douglas High School website

Coordinates: 48°28′17″N 123°19′6″W / 48.47139°N 123.31833°W / 48.47139; -123.31833

See also