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 (also known as the " Almaguin Highlands"), the school serves 19 small communities and townships. Students and Athletes at AHSS are known as Highlanders, the schools colours are dark green, black, & gold. Almaguin Highlands Secondary School was founded in 1959, the new and currently used school building was founded in September 2011.

History

The Old School

AHSS (known then as Sundridge-South River Secondary School) was originally built to replace Sundridge High School, Sundridge and South River High School, South River. In the early 1960s the building underwent a giant expansion (bigger addition then the size of the original school) to become Almaguin Highlands Secondary School, this new school also eliminated the need of Burk's Falls High School,

Burk's Falls Burk's Falls is an incorporated village in the Almaguin Highlands region of Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto and south of North Bay, Ontario. The village, and the waterfall on the site, were named (for himself) by ...

and Powassan High School, Powassan. This new school had a reach from Nipissing in the north to Magnetawan in the West and

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in the south, including all area between.

The New School

In the mid 2000s (Around the school's 50th Anniversary) planning for a replacement high school for the area arose. This was cause to the old school having problems with

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as well as the building becoming dated with many repairs and upgrades needed. With the help of a government grant the new building began construction in early 2010. The new school was finished construction in September 2011, causing students to be delayed by one week starting the new school year. The new school is significantly smaller in size then the old school was (New buildings capacity around 850 where the old school could hold 2000+) When it opened the school was missing bleachers in the gym, slide out auditorium seats in the cafetorium (a combination room of the cafeteria and an auditorium), a soccer field, a running track, track & field jumping pits, and only a plywood deck on the stage. During the 2011–2012 school year fundraising allowed the building of the bleachers and auditorium seats. Due to having no field students during gym classes, home soccer games, and track & field still took place at the old school, leaving the students to be bused over to the old site. During the 2014–2015 school year the soccer field was constructed, ready for use in fall 2015. Over the 2015 summer break the stage deck was also replaced to proper decking. As of right now the school is still lacking a functioning running track and jumping pits, but students are no longer bused to the old school.

Feeder Schools

AHSS is fed by the following feeder schools:

Full Feeder Schools

* Argyle Public School (K-8), Port Loring * Evergreen Heights Education Centre (K-8),

Emsdale Perry is a township (Canada), township in the Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Almaguin Highlands region of Parry Sound District, Ontario, Parry Sound District. The township had a population of 2,454 in the Canada 2016 Census ...

(Perry) * Land of Lakes Public School (K-8, 5-8 Extended French), Burk's Falls * Magnetawan Central School (K-8), Magnetawan * Mapleridge Public School (K-8), Powassan * South River Public School (K-8), South River * South Shore Education Centre (K-8), Nipissing * Sundridge Centennial Public School (K-8), Sundridge

Athletics

AHSS is a part of the Muskoka-Parry Sound(MPS) & Georgian Bay (GBSSA) athletic areas.

Fall Sports

* Junior Boys

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

* Senior Boys Soccer * Junior Boys Volleyball * Senior Boys Volleyball * Midget Boys Cross Country * Junior Boys Cross Country * Senior Boys Cross Country * Junior Girls Basketball * Senior Girls Basketball * Midget Girls Cross Country * Junior Girls Cross Country * Senior Girls Cross Country

Winter Sports

* Junior Boys Basketball * Senior Boys Basketball * Midget Boys

Nordic Skiing Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the Ski binding, binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe ...

* Junior Boys Nordic Skiing * Senior Boys Nordic Skiing * Varsity Boys Ice Hockey * Midget Girls Volleyball * Junior Girls Volleyball * Senior Girls Volleyball * Midget Girls Nordic Skiing * Junior Girls Nordic Skiing * Senior Girls Nordic Skiing * Varsity Girls Ice Hockey

Spring Sports

* Varsity Girls Soccer * Co-Ed Track & Field * Co-Ed Badminton

Arts

Drama

AHSS offers drama programming in grades 9 through 12. It also offers advanced drama programing, as 'Play Production' courses at the 11th and 12th grade. The AHSS Drama club, known as Tartan Theatre, produces 2-3 plays each school year, and participates in the National Theatre School Ontario Drama Festival (formerly Sears Ontario Drama Festival). It is part of the Nipissing District and Northern Region. Tartan Theatre has had multiple plays advance to the Provincial Showcase, most recently with ''Elephant's Graveyard'' in 2015. Other productions apart of provincial showcases include ''Lessons of Childhood'' (2013), ''Women of Troy'' (2010), ''Moon People'' (2003), and ''Salt Water Moon'' (1999). In 2016 Tartan Theatre was selected to take part in the Southern Ontario Youth Theatre Festival (now Ontario Youth Theatre Festival) with ''The Comedian.''

Academics

Extended French Program

AHSS offers an Extended French Certificate Program where students can take intensive courses on the French language as well as content courses offered in French. Students in the program will graduate with an Extended French Certificate on their OSSD. It is not a bilingualism certification, but starting in 2017 students in their fourth year of the program can take the DELF French Language Test.

Specialist High Skills Majors

AHSS offers three Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSMs) which students can apply for in the tenth grade. They are Environment - Outdoor Education, Design and Technology, and Health and Wellness.

Dual Credits and Apprenticeships

AHSS offers many Dual Credits and Apprenticeships programs through

Canadore College Canadore College is a college of applied arts and technology located in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1967 as a campus of Sudbury's Cambrian College, and became an independent institution in 1972. Canadore College has three campu ...

in which students can earn credits towards their OSSD and a college degree, diploma, or certificate. Typically, the dual credits program is paired with the COOP program.

Notable alumni

* Peter Camani, artist and sculptor, retired art teacher, art is featured in the Vatican and Buckingham Palace. His creations, such as the Screaming Heads and Midlothian Castle & Gallery have been featured on many television shows.{{Cite web, title=Almaguin Highlands Information Centre, url=http://almaguin.on.ca/screaming-heads-midlothian-castle-gallery#About, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113161719/http://almaguin.on.ca/screaming-heads-midlothian-castle-gallery#About, url-status=dead, archive-date=2013-11-13, date=2013-11-13, access-date=2020-05-23 * Hawksley Workman, rock singer-songwriter.

References

High schools in Ontario Educational institutions established in 1959 1959 establishments in Ontario