Queen Elizabeth High School (QEHS) is a Canadian public combined junior and senior

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, which teaches grades 7 through 12. The junior (7–9) and senior high (10–12) programs share a common principal, many teachers, and other resources of the school. It is operated by the

Calgary Board of Education Calgary School District No. 19 or the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) is the public school board in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. As a public system, the CBE is required to accept any students who meet age and residency requirements, regardless of ...

. QEHS operates separately from Queen Elizabeth Elementary School, even though the two schools are physically adjacent to each other.

History

The school was founded in 1910 as "Bowview School" which was originally a boarding school. Evidence for this can be found above the south west entrance by the cafeteria, where the previous school name is displayed. It was renamed in 1953 to mark the coronation of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. The original three-storey building (which includes the Drama room that was the original auditorium and cafeteria) opened in 1930. A large addition (including the band room, wood shop, north gym, current offices, classrooms) was opened in 1953. The third addition was completed in 1967 and includes the library and science labs.

Academics

QEHS offers special programs for the CBE which are for students throughout the city, not just local students. Those outside the local area are given subsidized bus passes to attend the school.

Advanced Placement Program

QEHS is one of the many high schools in

to offer the

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

, which gives student a chance to enroll in university-level courses of their choice, equivalent to most universities' introductory courses. Depending on their score on the AP Exam, students can receive university credit for the AP course. As of May 2008, QEHS offers AP courses in the following subjects:

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Calculus AB,

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

and

European History The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD 500), the Middle Ages (AD 500 to AD 1500), and the modern era (since AD 1500). The first early ...

Gifted students

QEHS is one of the CBE's schools to operate the

Gifted and Talented Education Gifted education (also known as gifted and talented education (GATE), talented and gifted programs (TAG), or G/T education) is a broad group of special practices, procedures, and theories used in the education of children who have been identified a ...

(GATE) program, which assists qualified students with more advanced instruction. GATE compacts and accelerates the typical curriculum. It combines Language Arts and Social Studies into one class (humanities) and it also provides extra experts and mentors. Currently, nine CBE schools offer the GATE program. The school is part of the Action for Bright Children Society.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing students

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at Queen Elizabeth High school is a bilingual and bicultural program that supports Deaf students from grade 7 through 12 to participate in a mainstream environment. Interpreters are also provided, enabling equality and language accessibility. The Deaf students are placed in classrooms among hearing students with an interpreter who facilitates information using American Sign Language.

Alberta Ballet students

Students from across the city who attend The School of Alberta Ballet attend QEHS. Queen Elizabeth makes special accommodations for the students. Even though the

Alberta Ballet Alberta Ballet (also known as the Alberta Ballet Company) was founded by Muriel Taylor and Dr. Ruth Carse in 1958 and became a professional company in 1966. The company is a resident company of both the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmo ...

, not QEHS, actually provides the dance instruction, that instruction can be used to earn credits towards a high school diploma. QEHS is one of just two schools in the city with this special relationship, the other being Bishop Carroll High.

Student body

Mascot

The school's

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

is a knight. A student is usually at

pep rally A pep rally or pep assembly is a gathering of people, typically students of middle school, high school, and college age, before a sports event. The purpose of such a gathering is to encourage school spirit and to support members of the team. It ...

events in the school wearing a suit of armor.

Knight's Fest

Every year the student leadership class hosts an event known as "Knights Fest" where students have a half day, and are able to enjoy activities such as bouncy castles and other various carnival themed activities, and there are stands where students can buy candy and knights themed merchandise. Live bands perform, notable past performers include Michael Bernard Fitzgerald and The Static Shift.

Notable alumni

Rob Anders Robert J. "Rob" Anders (born April 1, 1972) is a Canadian former politician. He represented the riding of Calgary West from 1997 until 2015 and was a founding member of the Conservative Party of Canada. On April 12, 2014, Anders was defeated by ...

–

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

MP *

Jay Beagle Jay Beagle (born October 16, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who last played for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). As an undrafted free agent, Beagle joined the Washington Capitals's organization fo ...

– NHL player *

Rosalind Groenewoud Rosalind Groenewoud (born December 10, 1989) is a Canadian freeskier. She is the 2011 FIS World Champion in halfpipe, Groenewoud is also a 2012 Winter X Games champion x 2 (Aspen and Tignes) and has 3 silver and two bronze medals from X Games co ...

– freeskier *

Nancy Huston Nancy Louise Huston, OC (born September 16, 1953) is a Canadian-born novelist and essayist who writes primarily in French and translates her own works into English. Biography Huston was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the city in which she l ...

–

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

Naheed Nenshi Naheed Kurban Nenshi (born February 2, 1972) is a Canadian politician who was the 36th mayor of Calgary, Alberta. He was elected in the 2010 municipal election with 39% of the vote, and is the first Muslim mayor of a large North American city. ...

– the 36th Mayor of Calgary *

Sheilagh Ogilvie Sheilagh Catheren Ogilvie, FBA (born 7 October 1958) is a Canadian historian, economist, and academic, specialising in economic history. Since 2020, she has been Chichele Professor of Economic History at the University of Oxford. Previously, she t ...

– Professor of Economic History at the University of Cambridge *

Ken Read Kenneth John Read (born November 6, 1955) is one of the most respected sport leaders in Canada. This World Cup alpine ski racer from Canada was a specialist in the downhill and a two-time Olympian. He won five World Cup races during his ten-year ...

- Olympic alpine skier; International sport leader * Ted Stenson, film director whose 2020 film '' Events Transpiring Before, During and After a High School Basketball Game'' was filmed at Queen Elizabeth High School in 2019Kevin Green
"Queen Elizabeth High School backdrop of new movie from Calgary filmmaker"

CTV Calgary CFCN-DT (channel 4) is a television station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside cable-exclusive CTV 2 Alberta (based in Edmonton with sister station CFRN ...

, August 14, 2019.

References

External links

Official School Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen Elizabeth Junior And Senior High School (Calgary) High schools in Calgary Middle schools in Calgary Educational institutions established in 1910 1910 establishments in Alberta