Bell High School is a public high school located in the Bells Corners neighborhood of Ottawa, Ontario.

History

In 1962, the school was established by the Carleton Board of Education (now

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB, known as English-language Public District School Board No. 25 prior to 1999) refers to both the institution responsible for the operation of all English public schools in the city of Ottawa, Ont ...

) as a public high school for grades 9-13. In 1977, Bell High School concert and stage bands produced an album "From Canada's Capital... Bell Bands in Concert". D. Aubrey Moodie Intermediate School, a school in the Bells Corners area (grades 6–8) closed down as of June 2017, and in the following year, Bell High School became a 7-12 school.

Programs

It currently offers a Gifted Program, a comprehensive French Immersion and an ESL program in addition to the normal academic program. In 2014, Bell High School was recognized as the primary secondary school to service Ottawa West. Its students refer to themselves as Bruins.

Academics

The school consists of roughly 50% students from local districts as well as another 50% from other districts who transfer in order to attend its Gifted Program, French Immersion Program or ESL program. Academically, Bell has one of the highest university placement rates in Ottawa. Virtually all students of its gifted program and a plurality in the academic program enter university programs in Canada or internationally. Students often go to the local

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

and

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

, with others going to Queen's University,

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates ...

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

in Canada. Some graduates go to the United States; in the past, students have gone to

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Bell High School also offers comprehensive French Immersion studies for students wishing to pursue accreditation and fluency in French as well as a full range of Advance Placement courses and examinations for those whom wish to attain university credits during high school.

AP Courses Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curriculum, curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement ...

offered include: Physics B,

Calculus Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...

, English Literature, French, Macroeconomics and Studio Arts. Beyond its special academic curriculum, Bell High School offers a diverse and extensive range of academic studies. Reinforced by its excellent educational infrastructure and exceptional staff to student ratio of 13.3 (~1000 students to ~80 staff), Bell High School students almost always perform exceptionally in national mathematics, biology and business competitions. In the

Math Competitions, Bell has consistently ranked within the top 50 schools in the nation. Bell's reputation for academics is such that Bell students are welcomed at various institutions for enrichment studies. Some examples include the

Canadian Light Source The Canadian Light Source (CLS) (french: link=no, Centre canadien de rayonnement synchrotron – CCRS) is Canada's national synchrotron light source facility, located on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, C ...

synchrotron (a

particle accelerator A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies, and to contain them in well-defined beams. Large accelerators are used for fundamental research in particle ...

) in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

Huntsman Marine Science Center
the

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI, Perimeter, PITP) is an independent research centre in foundational theoretical physics located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1999. The institute's founding and major benefactor i ...

in Waterloo,

and the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

for its

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

conferences. Many of Bell's students have been selected to attend the prestigious

Shad Valley Shad Canada (formerly known as Shad Valley) is an annual Canadian summer enrichment program for high-achieving high school students in July. The program is open to both Canadian and international students. The program is offered at 19 participatin ...

summer enrichment program for excellence in science, math, business and engineering. Bell also has an international travel program which sends students across the world in order to broaden their horizon. Destinations have included Continental Europe, Asia, Japan and the Galapagos Islands.

Facilities and infrastructure

Bell High School is located on a spacious 10 hectare (25 acre) campus. The school building itself is in the shape of the letter "E" and divided into several wings. Each wing contains a different educational discipline, one each for science, mathematics, English, and social studies. The school also has an art studio and a cafeteria. Bell High School also actively integrates technology into the classroom, including projectors, four modern computer labs, and

SmartBoard Smart Technologies (stylized as SMART Technologies) also known as Smart, is a Canadian company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and wholly owned by Foxconn. Founded in 1987, Smart is best known as the developer of interactive whiteboa ...

s. In 2018, additional construction began in order to enlarge the school and better accommodate the newly integrated Intermediate (Grades 7 and 8) students from the former D. A. Moodie Intermediate School. The school also has a two-story library with computer access, a student services office, two music rooms, an art studio with kiln, a drama studio, an extensive costume storage room, a dance studio, a drafting studio, two full-sized gyms with bleachers, a greenhouse, an automotive garage, two construction workshops and indoor weight training and exercise facilities. Because of the size of its campus, Bell High School offers a full range of sports amenities and well as a large degree of recreational green space. The school has or is adjacent to two baseball diamonds, two full-sized soccer fields (one doubles as a football field, with bleachers), an all season indoor hockey arena ( Bell Centennial Arena) and a 400 m gravel track. Many of these facilities are owned by the City of Ottawa. Due to a large number of students attending Bell High School from other neighborhoods, four "600" series buses (658 serving Bayshore and Crystal Beach, 660 and 665 serving Kanata, 675 serving Barrhaven, and 669 serving Bayshore), as well as a special 88 route (to Bell H.S. only) have been arranged with OC Transpo in order to transport students.

Student activities

Bell High School has an extremely active student population which hosts a huge variety of activities ranging from a leadership camp that involves 30% of the school population for three days to games and other fun events. An elected Students' Council holds the leadership camp, run by leadership heads who are elected at the end of each school year by the upcoming co-presidents, as well as

World Vision In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

30 Hour Famine Famine events are localized events of voluntary fasting for 30 or 40 hours depending on the region to raise money and awareness for world hunger. These events are usually coordinated by one of various World Vision organizations and are done by yout ...

, and other events for charity and awareness. Beyond activities, Bell also engages extensively in fundraising efforts. Through these efforts, Bell has contributed significantly to the local community and even managed to construct a sister school in Kenya which it maintains as an ongoing humanitarian project. Other than its fundraisers and humanitarian projects, Bell High School also hosts a plethora of events to actively promote arts and culture, though performances, banquets, and shows. The students of Bell also run a diverse list of clubs from philanthropic organizations to academic groups. Among the list are

Anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

Club, A/V (Audio/Visual) Crew, BISA (Bell Islamic Students' Association),

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

Club, Community Science Club,

Debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

Club, the Bell Roar Newspaper, Rainbow Alliance (Supporting the LGBTQ Community), Interact Club (Part of Rotary International), Key Club, OSAID (Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving),

Reach for the Top ''Reach for the Top'' (also known simply as ''Reach'') is a Canadian academic quiz competition for high school students. In the past, it has also been a game show nationally broadcast on the CBC. Matches are currently aired online through Reach ...

(placing first nationally in 1993–94), the University Math Club, Model United Nations Club, Pokémon Club, Potluck club, ESL club, AIM Youth, Robotics Club and a host of others. Bell is also known for its excellent drama program, consistently earning recognition at the annual Sears Ontario Drama Festival. The 2008 production, "Whitechapel," was published in "Festival Voices," an anthology of plays written by students and teachers for the Festival. Bell also produces an annual musical which has been regarded by local media as having outstanding production values. It is also consistently recognized by " The Cappies" for its excellence in the field.

Clubs at Bell High School

* AIM Youth (formerly known as «Bell Generation SDG») * Art Club - Meets at lunch and after school to work on art projects and learn new trills * BARC - Bell Animal Rights Club * Bell Roar Newspaper * Biochemistry Club * BISA - Bell Islamic Students Association * Black History Club - Hosts Black History Month Film Festival at Bell * Bridge Club * Bruin Brawls - plays Super Smash Bros * Chess Club * Club de Français * Community Council - Hosts a variety of charity events for the community (New 2019/2020 school year) * Debate Club * DECA * Eco Team - raises awareness for ecological issues and promotes eco-friendly habits, takes care of the school's green bins * ESL Helper Club - Provides academic help to ESL (English Second Language) students * GloBell Action Club - takes on projects to tackle world issues, such as funding education in developing countries * Key Club * Makwa Dodem (Bell High School's indigenous sharing circle) * Man Up - Advocates for men to stand up against violence towards women * Manufacturing/Technology Club - Encourages technological innovation and initiative by providing students with guidance, learning opportunities, competitions, and workshop/design materials. * Math Club -A club in which members study math * Media Club * Model United Nations * Music Council - Oversees the operations of Bell High School's music program * Operation Smile - A club for Operation Smile Canada * Photography Club * Potluck Club - Hosts themed pot lucks once a month * Programming Club * Quizbowl * Rainbow Alliance - Promotes acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community at Bell and fundraises for local charities * Robotics Club * Tea Club - Members enjoy drinking tea together

Robotics

Bell High School Robotics is a student-run club started in 2016. The team participates in competitions around the nation and has an ultimate goal of making Vex Worlds, one of the world's greatest robotics competitions for high school students held in Louisville, Kentucky. The team hopes to expand the club and allow more students to experience STEM related fields. The aims of the team are to foster interest in robotics through competition, to cultivate a relationship with the surrounding Ottawa community, and much closer to home, to create a core community at Bell High School via the "Team First, Robotics Second" philosophy, which prioritizes team bonding and growth along with engineering accomplishment.

Athletics

Bell High School has a large roster of sports teams which in many sports under the Bell Bruins name (the mascot of the school, a bear, "Bruin Bear"). Among its teams, Bell particularly excels at basketball, soccer, ice hockey, and rugby. badminton, wrestling and track and field, frequently qualifying for nationals and Pan-American level competitions. Bell High Schools varsity ice hockey team won the NCSSAA Tier 2 Non-Contact Ice Hockey Championship in the 2021 fall season in their home arena. The teams offered by Bell High School (all teams have male and female divisions) include:

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

, soccer, football,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

, Nordic skiing, Alpine skiing,

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

. In 2010, badminton players from Bell earned two OFSAA provincial gold titles and a silver title in an unprecedented performance by one school.

Notable alumni

* Steve Yzerman, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and GM of the Detroit Red Wings. *

John Manley John Paul Manley (born January 5, 1950) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the eighth deputy prime minister of Canada from 2002 to 2003. He served as Liberal Member of Parliament for Ottawa South from 1988 to ...

, Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician. * John Baird, Canadian politician, former Minister of Foreign Affairs. *

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, p ...

, Canadian musician. * Doug Smith, NHL, Los Angeles Kings, Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins *

Eliza Reid Eliza Jean Reid (born 5 May 1976) is a Canadian-Icelandic writer and, since 2016, the First Lady of Iceland through her marriage to Icelandic President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson. Before becoming First Lady she co-founded the Iceland Writers Re ...

, writer and First Lady of Iceland *

Teddy Wilson Theodore Shaw Wilson (November 24, 1912 – July 31, 1986) was an American jazz pianist. Described by critic Scott Yanow as "the definitive swing pianist", Wilson had a sophisticated, elegant style. His work was featured on the records of many ...

, TV personality * Gordon Fraser, professional cyclist * Tina Takahashi, judoka * Phil Takahashi, judoka and Olympic athlete * Ray Takahashi, judoka, wrestler and Olympic athlete * Alison Korn, rower and Olympic athlete *

, Canadian politician, former cabinet minister

Sexual Abuse Scandals

Bell High School was the focus of an intense investigation by CBC Ottawa in 2018 that uncovered a sexual abuse scandal spanning decades. Three teachers were accused of sexually assaulting students from the early 1970's to the 2000's. The accused teachers were Don Greenham, the school's basketball coach, Bob Clarke and Tim Stanutz, both music teachers at Bell. Of the three, only Clarke was found guilty and sentenced to time in federal prison. Both Greenham and Stanutz died before their criminal trials commenced.
No More Secrets
told the story of these three teachers and some of their victims. Th
Band Played On
was a Podcast produced providing the details of the investigation. In 2022 a disciplinary panel with the Ontario College of Teachers found former Bell High School teacher Peter Des Brisay guilty of professional misconduct after sexually abusing a former student in the late 1990s.

References

External links

Current School WebsiteOld School WebsiteSecond Old School WebsiteOCDSB Website2009-2010 OCDSB School ProfileBell High School Robotics
{{OCDSB Middle schools in Ottawa High schools in Ottawa Educational institutions established in 1962 1962 establishments in Ontario