Widdifield Secondary School (WSS) was a

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 ...

located on Ski Club Road in

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military ...

. It was a member of the Near North District School Board.

Overview

Widdifield's motto was "Mens Quaerens in Corpore Sano," loosely meaning "an inquiring mind in a sound body."

Alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

are known as the Widdifield

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

, and the school colours were

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

and

royal blue Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by clothiers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of whom won a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. Brightness The ''Oxford E ...

. The school was founded in 1965. Because of the extensive area of the school zone, 35% of the approximately 900 students were bussed. Widdifield was also the first school in Canada to incorporate the option of receiving the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)- Arts and Culture certificate upon graduation. The school was named after Joseph Henry Widdifield, who was born in 1845, was a physician and a Liberal member of Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing York North. In September 2017, the Near North District School Board voted to close the school. In January 2018, it was announced the school would close in June 2019. In September 2018, it was announced that the closure would be delayed by at least one year due to the lack of funding to update the other two high schools. Widdifield Secondary School closed in June 2020.

Drama

*Widdifield's ''The Company'' ** International Thespian Society Festival, numerous Widdifield productions have traveled to the annual drama festival, which was held at the

University of Nebraska-Lincoln A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. ** Sears Ontario Drama Festival, Widdifield has been a part of the drama Festival for almost 50 years and have won over 100 awards in the District, Regional and Provincial rounds. **Widdifield is also the home of the local theatre program, Theatre Out Reach On Stage, in the summer time.

Notable alumni

Al McDonald Al McDonald is a politician in Ontario, Canada, who was mayor of North Bay, Ontario from 2010 to 2022. He was previously a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2002 to 2003, and ran unsuccessfully for th ...

, mayor of North Bay * Michael O'Shea, former linebacker 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 East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the CFL * Mike Yeo, former coach of the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Widdifield Secondary School

School profile page
Educational institutions established in 1965 High schools in North Bay, Ontario 1965 establishments in Ontario

Overview

Drama

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links