, motto_translation = We learn, not for school, but for life
, seal_image =
, founded = 1968
, type = Public
, streetaddress = 5220 Northland Drive
, city =
Calgary, Alberta
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 ...
, country = Canada
, postalcode = T2L 2J6
, coordinates =
, trustee = Laura Hack
, director = Jeannie Everett
, principal = Arvin Rajan
, grades = 10–12
, enrollment = 2307
, enrollment_as_of = 2022
, grade10 = 771
, grade11 = 742
, grade12 = 764
, campus_type = Suburban
, campus_size =
, image = Sir Winston Churchill High School 2.jpg
, imagesize = 240px
, schoolboard =
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 ...
, mascot = Brutus the Bulldog
, teamname = Bulldogs
, colours = Red, white, and blue
, newspaper = ''The Churchill Chronicle''
, website =
, communities =
Brentwood (sections),
Dalhousie (sections),
Edgemont, The
Hamptons
The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one of ...
,
Sherwood
Sherwood may refer to:
Places Australia
*Sherwood, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
* Sherwood, South Australia, a locality
*Shire of Sherwood, a former local government area of Queensland
* Electoral district of Sherwood, an electoral district fr ...
Varsity Acres and Varsity Estates (as of December 2022)
, feeders =
Sir Winston Churchill High School is a 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 ...
in
Calgary, Alberta
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 ...
, Canada. It derives its name from
Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...
, two-term prime minister of the United Kingdom. The high school is built in the Northwest community of Brentwood. The school offers the
International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...
(IB) programme, various second languages, and numerous clubs and teams.
Academics
Churchill is known for being Calgary's North West designated International Baccalaureate school. The vast majority of its graduates attend post-secondary institutions across the world. Churchill is considered one of Alberta's leading schools for academics, regularly placing highly in the city and the province and in national math competitions, poetry contests, and science competitions, including the Science Olympics.
International Baccalaureate programme
The IB Diploma/Certificate programme begins in the middle of a student's grade 10 year with Math and/or Physics/Biology/Business Management. Other IB courses begin during the grade 11 year and include Art, Chemistry, Computer Science, World History, English, French and Mandarin. This academic program is demanding but encourages students to be well-rounded individuals. During their grade 11 year, IB students taking, at least, one of the
IB Group 4 subjects are required to complete a science fair style project, demonstrating their knowledge of the scientific concepts behind a topic of their choosing. During their grade 12 year, IB Diploma students will work on an involved, self-instructed and teacher-guided essay on a topic of their choice, known as the
Extended Essay
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...
. Students taking History, regardless of Diploma or Certificate involvement also complete an Internal Assessment, similar to the Extended Essay.
Athletics
The school's athletic teams competes and participates in the Calgary Zone of the
Alberta Schools Athletic Association.
Various sports are played within school, and school teams of SWC are strong competitors among the Calgary Senior High schools. They have been crowned Overall Champions in Wrestling, Badminton, Basketball, Rugby, Swimming, Diving, Soccer, Field Hockey, Table Tennis, and Volleyball.
The School's Swimming, Basketball and Wrestling are the most distinguished among all.
The Junior Boys Volleyball team in 2000 won City Championship. The same group of athletes on the senior team in 2002 and 2003 also won the city championship. This is the only volleyball team in the city and province to win 3 years of city championships. In 2002 the volleyball team also won provincials under the coaching of Al Taylor.
In 2001 the Junior football team won city championships against their rivals who clobbered them in regular season 48–6.
In 2006, five different teams won awards in various divisional and city championships. Churchill fielded a Senior Boys Rugby team for the first time in many years. The team went undefeated in the regular season and took home the city championship for Div II Rugby with a 30–22 win over Queen Elizabeth High School.
In the 2007 to 2008 school year, the Bulldogs came out on top snatching many city titles. Among them include Junior Boys Soccer, Senior Boys Basketball, Senior Girls Basketball and Senior Girls Field Hockey.
In the 2008 to 2009 school year, the Bulldogs again came out on top snatching many city titles. Among them include Junior Boys Volleyball, Senior Boys Basketball, Girls Rugby and Girls Wrestling.
Continuing the legacy of Sir Winston Churchill, Churchillians was crowned in many different sports during the school year of 2010–2011, including Junior Boys Volleyball, Girls Wrestling, Diving, Intermediate Boys Cross Country, Junior Boys Basketball, and Senior Boys Rugby.
In the 2012–2013 school year, Churchillians once again surpass its limits, and crowned in many sports, including Junior Boys Football, Senior Boys Volleyball, Senior Girls Basketball, both Junior and Senior Field Hockey and both Boys/Girls Wrestling
In the 2013–2014 school year, Sir Winston Churchill High School Swim Team won the City Championship while setting a new City record of 1082.17 points. The Sir Winston Churchill High School Dive Team also finished in second.
In 2014–2015 school year, Sir Winston Churchill High School Cross Country Team captured both Junior and Senior Boys Championship.
In the 2014–2015 school year, Sir Winston Churchill Swim Team once again captured first place in the Inter-School Swimming Competition.
Recently, Sir Winston Churchill Swim Team has captured the Inter-School Swimming Competition Championship for a record of 6 consecutive years.
The fine arts and performing arts
School productions
SWC prides itself on its well-developed Theatre and Musical Theatre programs. Each year a large scale production is presented, giving any interested students a chance to show off their exceptional skills. As a final project in grade 12, students in both Performing Arts programs are given the opportunity to direct or stage-manage their own, student driven, 45-minute productions. Each production is presented in the evenings in the theatre, giving students and staff a chance to view them. Many Drama 30 students have been fortunate enough to have their pieces presented at the Calgary Drama Festival, and for the past several years, more than one student's production has been submitted for viewing, a rarity in the festival.
Sir Winston Churchill High School music program
The band program of Sir Winston Churchill is conducted by Philip Rounding and Rachelle Henkel. Churchill's bands include the Concert Band, the Symphonic Band, the Blue Jazz Band, the Jazz Army Band, the Jazz Combo, the Choir, and the Percussion Ensemble. At the beginning of each year, students wishing to enter the school bands attend band auditions. The student's skills are judged and then placed in either the Concert or Symphonic band. Those of a high skill level are placed in the Symphonic band, while most tenth-grade and some eleventh-grade students are placed in the Concert Band. A small percentage of highly skilled grade ten students may find themselves placed in the Symphonic Band, which plays music at grade 5 through 6 music levels. With both the Concert and Symphonic bands, students must take corresponding courses in the school year. Those students who have schedule conflicts due to IB courses must attend IB-Band classes at lunch (these classes are not according to an IB curriculum, the name is simply because the students are in other IB courses, and do not have room in their timetable to attend the regular class).
The Blue-Jazz, Jazz-army, and Jazz Combo bands, as well as the Percussion Ensemble, are entirely volunteer-based as well. Students are allowed into Blue Jazz if they have exceptional skill at jazz music and play the appropriate instruments. Otherwise, they may choose to be part of the Jazz Army. Percussion Ensemble consists of percussion instruments, which include drums, xylophones, timpanis, vibraphones, pianos, maracas, and a variety of other percussion instruments. None of these groups have a corresponding in-school class that students have to attend.
Both the Concert and Symphonic Bands at Sir Winston Churchill are composed of woodwind, brass, low woodwind, low brass, and percussion instruments. The only string instrument in the band is the low string bass. The Jazz Army and Blue-Jazz bands also have an electric bass and sometimes an electric guitar. The jazz bands (usually) consist of brass instruments, whilst the Concert and Symphonic Bands are composed mainly of woodwind-type instruments.
Each year, Sir Winston Churchill bands attend several competitions, including the Alberta inter-city competition, Alberta International Band Festival, and several other inter-province band festivals. All bands also go on an annual band trip, to spend a few days in another city, where they perform and record the annual Sir Winston Churchill CD (recorded by DarkMatter Productions). On the last evening of each trip, students attend a formal dinner with one another, followed by the awarding of section-leader awards, as well as the various medals of achievement earned by students.
The Symphonic and Concert Bands also perform at the Sir Winston Churchill Graduation ceremony. The Symphonic Band plays a piece that the students have chosen, whilst the concert band plays march-style pieces at the entrance and exit of the graduates.
Extracurricular activities and clubs
Churchill's Model United Nations team is one of the strongest in Western Canada. In 2014, the MUN team took home city championships as well as several national awards. In 2015, the MUN team claimed city championships once more, and in 2016, did the same. Also in 2016, the MUN team won first place at SSUNS in Montreal, first place at WAMUN, and first place at WCHSMUN. In the 2017–2018 school year, the MUN team won first place at SSUNS for the third year in the row, won the
Westmount Charter Model United Nations Conference for the second year in a row, and came back from the NHSMUN conference with an award of merit. They also won the city championship for the fifth year in a row in February. One of its students also took home a best delegate award at the Harvard Model United Nations conference in January 2018. During the 2018–19 school year the team once again won Best Small Delegation at SSUNS for the fourth year in a row and also won the same award at its first performance at the Canadian High Schools Model UN Conference in Vancouver. The team also won various Best Delegations in Calgary conferences, won numerous awards at its first performance at the MUNUC conference in Chicago, and came second at the city championships. Churchill has its own conference, SWCHSMUN, which is run by students. Registration is open to almost any high school student. In its most recent conference, Churchill hosted schools from across the province, and even brought in a school from Houston, Texas.
Churchill also has two well-equipped weight rooms. Students can join the 'Fitness Club' and can purchase memberships for a small price, (now made free, if a small written
fitness test is passed) and can work out in the morning, at lunch, and after school. The weight room offers a variety of equipment and well-trained teachers to help instruct students on proper techniques and help as spotters when needed.
Churchill has been extremely successful in various scientific competitions, such as
APEGA
The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) is an engineering society that regulates the practices of professional engineering and geoscience in Alberta.
APEGA receives its mandate from the Engineering and Geos ...
Science Olympics, SET Challenge, and Science Fair. As a competitor in th
Calgary Youth Science Fair Sir Winston Churchill High School has been awarded the BP High School Aggregate Award in 2016 and 2017, recognizing Churchill as the high school with the highest average marks between all participants. Many Churchill alumni have been selected to represent Alberta at the
Canada-Wide Science Fair
Started in 1962, the Canadian-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) is an annual science fair in Canada coordinated by Youth Science Canada. Finalists qualify from approximately 25,000 competitors at over 100 Youth Science Canada-affiliated regional science f ...
— where numerous individuals have received top honors. Notable examples of these alumni include ''Shi Haofeng''; where he has received extensive national media coverage for his research.
Churchill hosts an annual debate tournament sponsored by the Calgary Churchill Society.
![Team 4719 2015 Team Photo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Team_4719_2015_Team_Photo.png)
Churchill's International
FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...
team was started in 2013, and came to an end after the closure of the 2015 FRC season.
-In 2014, Churchill's Robotics Team
FRC Team 4719 won the 2014 FRC Western Canada Regional Competition and advanced to the 2014
FIRST Championship
The FIRST Championship is a four-day robotics championship held annually in April at which FIRST student robotics teams compete. For several years, the event was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to the Edward Jones Dom ...
.
-In the following year, Churchill's robotics team seeded first and won the 2015 Western Canada Regional again, winning a coveted spot to the 2015 FRC World Championship, and the Quality Award.
Sir Winston Churchill High School is also the home of some of the best
VEX Robotics
VEX Robotics is a robotics program for elementary through university students, and a subset of Innovation First International. The VEX Robotics competitions and programs are managed by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (RECF). In ...
teams in the province.
- In 2015 and 2016, Sir Winston Churchill teams 3388 Foobar and 3388T TurboTech won the VEX robotics Alberta Provincial Championship "''Skyrise''" and "''Nothing But Net''" and competed in VEX World robotics Championship.
- In 2017, Churchill's team 3388B Bulldog and 3388T TurboTech competed in the VEX Provincial Championship "''Starstruck''" and finished third and seventh respectively for qualification and second and third respectively for skills challenge. And they went on to represent Canada to compete in VEX World robotics championship. Team 3388B bulldog later became the highest ranked Albertan team in the VEX World Robotics Championship "''Starstruck''" in April 2017.
- In 2018, Churchill's team 3388X "Madeline" was Tournament Champion in the VEX Alberta Provincial Championship "''In The Zone''". They qualified for and will be representing Canada in the VEX World Robotics Championship in April in Louisville, Kentucky.
Clubs
Notable alumni
*
Bob Bassen - former
NHL forward
*
Roman Danylo
Roman Danylo (born in Calgary, Alberta) is a Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of ...
(1987) -
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audienc ...
on
CTV
CTV may refer to:
Television
* Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet
North America and South America
* CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media
** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...
's ''
Comedy Inc.'' and previously ''
The Holmes Show
''The Holmes Show'' is a Canadian television sketch comedy series that premiered on CTV on September 24, 2002. The 22-episode series stars Jessica Holmes, Roman Danylo and Kurt Smeaton. Filming took place at the CTV studios in June and August 20 ...
''.
*
Sam Effah - Represented Canada at the
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, ...
in Track and Field
*
John Fawcett (1986) -
Director of film and television shows such as ''
Ginger Snaps'' and ''
Orphan Black
''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. The series focuses on Sarah Manning, one of several genetically identical ...
''
*
Brandon Firla
Brandon Firla is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as Jonathan Sidwell, an investment banker, in ''Suits''.
Previously in Canada, he played Clark Claxton on the television sitcom ''Billable Hours''. In season four of ''Little M ...
- Actor and comedian in ''
Billable Hours'' and ''
Little Mosque on the Prairie
''Little Mosque on the Prairie'' is a Canadian television sitcom created by Zarqa Nawaz and produced by WestWind Pictures, originally broadcast from 2007 to 2012 on CBC. Filmed in Toronto, Ontario, and Indian Head, Saskatchewan, the series was s ...
''
*
Terri Hawkes — Actress, screenwriter and playwright. Best known for voicing Sailor Moon (in English), playing Wendy Masters on General Hospital and writing the screenplay for The Book Of Eve.
*
Matt Lambros - Professional
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...
wide receiver for the
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the CFL East Division, East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based i ...
*
Raghav Mathur
Raghav Mathur (born April 2, 1981), known professionally as Raghav, is a Canadian singer. He has released three studio albums: the debut '' Storyteller'' in 2004, ''Identity'' in 2009, and '' The Phoenix'' in 2012. His most known commercial succe ...
- Canadian pop singer and recording artist.
*
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic book creator, artist, writer, filmmaker and entrepreneur, best known for his work as the artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horro ...
, comic book creator and entrepreneur, best known for his work on ''
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...
'' and the horror-fantasy series ''
Spawn
Spawn or spawning may refer to:
* Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise
** '' Spawn: A ...
''.
*
Cale Makar
Cale Douglas Makar (born October 30, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected with the fourth overall pick by the Avalanche in the 2017 NHL Entry Dr ...
,
NHL Defenseman, 2022
Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy (french: Trophée Conn Smythe) is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general ma ...
winner, 2022
Norris Trophy
The James Norris Memorial Trophy, or simply the Norris Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's top " defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position". It is named after Ja ...
winner, and 2022
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
champion.
*
Peter Oldring (1987) - Actor who had a role in films ''
K-19: The Widowmaker'' and ''
Lost and Delirious
''Lost and Delirious'' is a 2001 Canadian drama film directed by Léa Pool, and based on the novel '' The Wives of Bath'' by Susan Swan. ''Lost and Delirious'' is told from the perspective of Mary ( Mischa Barton), who observes the changing love b ...
'', as well as various comedic television programs.
*
Riza Santos
Riza Raquel Santos (born August 31, 1986) is a currently the Vice President of Argyle Fox Inc., a technology firm headquartered in Calgary, Alberta and a former Canadian actress, TV Host and the first Canadian beauty pageant titleholder who ac ...
- Miss Canada 2013, and second-place winner on the Filipino reality TV show, ''
Pinoy Big Brother
''Pinoy Big Brother'', more popularly known by its abbreviated title ''PBB'', is the Philippine version of the '' Big Brother'' reality game show franchise. The word ''Pinoy'' in the title is a colloquial term for the Filipino people. Is a Phil ...
''
*
Ashwin Sood (1985) - Recording artist, drummer and former husband of
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...
*
Fiona Staples
Fiona Staples is a Canadian comic book artist known for her work on books such as ''North 40'', '' DV8: Gods and Monsters'', ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'', '' Archie'', and '' Saga''. She has been described as one of the best artists working in the in ...
- Comic book artist.
*
Karl Tilleman - Basketball player on Canada's Olympic team. (Tilleman holds the Olympic record for the most three-point baskets in a single basketball game).
[ Tilleman, Karl]
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Educational institutions established in 1968
High schools in Calgary
International Baccalaureate schools in Alberta
1968 establishments in Alberta