McNally High School

McNally High School is a high school located in the Forest Heights neighborhood in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is operated by the Edmonton Public Schools system. The school is named after former Alberta Deputy Minister of Education and University of Alberta chancellor George Fred McNally.

Programs of study

International Baccalaureate

McNally offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in addition to the Alberta education curriculum. Having a diploma graduating class normally greater than forty students a year, McNally has one of the largest international baccalaureate classes in Alberta. However, this is often attributed to the medium population base of the school, with about 300 students enrolled in the diploma program and 200 students enrolled in the certificate program each year. McNally currently offers international baccalaureate courses in biology, computer science, English, history, physics, visual arts, chemistry, French, Spanish, mathematics, Mandarin, music, and math studies.

Career and Technology Studies

The school offers a variety of programs aimed to help students develop skills for employment after graduation. These include photography, computer programming and animation, web design, communication technology, construction, design studies, and culinary arts. Preparatory courses in culinary arts are offered at the school, allowing students to leave high school ready for a career in these areas.

Building

While the building itself is not new, it has undergone many upgrades and repairs in recent years, including new lockers throughout the school, new bathrooms, all the classrooms were painted, and the phys education office and girls' change rooms were renovated. The school has separate labs for all the sciences, including a physics lab, a biology lab, a chemistry lab and three computer labs. McNally is dedicated to athletics, and as a result, there are two gyms, a fitness center and a new dance facility. There is also a large drama room and multiple music / choral rooms.

Athletics

The following teams are available at McNally High School.
* Badminton
* Cheerleading
* Cross Country Running
* Rugby
* Curling
* Golf
* Basketball
* Football
* Soccer
* Swimming
* Track & Field
* Volleyball
* Wrestling

Notable alumni

*Shawn Belle – hockey player, Colorado Avalanche
*Jay Bouwmeester – hockey player, St. Louis Blues
*Mark Fistric – hockey player, Edmonton Oilers
*Cheryl Gibson – Olympic silver medalist
* Luther Hakunavanhu - Football player, Calgary Stampeders
*Jens Lindemann – trumpet player
*Janice Rhea Reimer – former mayor of Edmonton
*Tomáš Vincour- hockey player, Dallas Stars
* David Bissett- Olympic Bronze medalist (2010 4-man Bobsleigh)

Extra-curricular activities

Programs run by students, for students, are important and widespread and give students the opportunity to organize events such as bike-a-thon, pancake breakfast, and H-Fest.

McNally is one of the few schools in Edmonton that does not have a student union. Rather than a small group of students leading the school events, McNally prefers to hold youth engagement focus groups, where randomly-selected students come together to give feedback on various topics, which is compiled and presented to faculty and administration who will listen to concerns and take action.

Clubs

Many clubs are available at McNally, with plenty of opportunities to start new clubs or associations.

* Best Buddies
* Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program
* Cappies (Critics and Awards Program)
* Citadel Theatre student's club
* Eco club
* Gaming club
* Global Opportunities (GO) club
* Gay-Straight Alliance (G.S.A.)
* Grad council
* Hip Hop Collective
* Math Homework Club
* McNally Assists Students Serving in Volunteer Experiences (M.A.S.S.I.V.E.)
* McNally International club
* Multi-media club
* Me to We
* Reach for the Top
* Rotary club
* Running club
* Science Olympics
* Ski club
* Speak Up, Write Down (Speech, Debate, and Writing)
* Triple C (Chinese Culture Club)
* Varsity Council
* Yearbook committee
* Youth Engagement Focus Groups

Events

*Bike-a-thon - a fundraising event for Kids with Cancer.
*Walk for Water
*30 Hour Famine
*Pancake Breakfast
*Global Vote On Poverty

2022 stabbing

In the afternoon of April 8, 2022, a 16-year-old boy was stabbed outside of the school, and was rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition. He succumbed to his injuries and died one week later on April 15, 2022. The victim was later identified as Karanveer Sahota.

References

External links

McNally High School

{{High Schools in Edmonton

High schools in Edmonton
International Baccalaureate schools in Alberta
Educational institutions in Canada with year of establishment missing