Lester B. Pearson High School is a public 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 ...

located in Calgary,

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 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

administered by the Calgary Board of Education. The school is named for Nobel Laureate and Canadian Prime Minister

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian scholar, statesman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. Born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of ...

. The school has offered the French Immersion program since 2003 and in the following year of September 2004, Lester B. Pearson became a fully accredited

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 ...

World School Lester B. Pearson High School is one of the five schools in Calgary to be offering the

International Baccalaureate Programme 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 ...

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 ...

, the school also offers opportunities to earn a combination of French Immersion and IB course certificates.

Location

Lester B. Pearson High School is located in the Northeast of Calgary and serves the communities of Pineridge, Rundle,

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

, Whitehorn, and Monterey Park.

Junior High A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...

feeder schools to Lester B. Pearson High School are Annie Gale, Clarence Sansom, and Dr. Gordon Higgins. Pearson is also the destination high school for all French Immersion and

students east of

Deerfoot Trail Deerfoot Trail is a freeway segment of Highway 2 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It stretches the entire length of the city from south to north and links suburbs to downtown via Memorial Drive and 17 Avenue SE. The freewa ...

and north of Peigan Trail. The feeder school for the French Immersion program is Bob Edwards Junior High School.

students will come to Pearson from all ten junior high schools situated in Area III of Calgary. Pearson is also connected to the Village Square Leisure Center by a

skyway A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of enclo ...

. The

walkway In American English, walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails. '' The New Oxford American Dictionary'' also defines a walkway as "a passage or path for walking along, esp. a ...

is not used anymore because of safety and legal reasons between the Calgary Board of Education and The City of Calgary. The Village Square Leisure Center includes services such as a public library,

wave pool A wave pool is a swimming pool in which there are artificially generated, large waves, similar to those of the ocean. Wave pools are often a major feature of water parks, both indoors and outdoors, as well as some leisure centres. History T ...

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational i ...

, and many

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

opportunities.Calgary Board of Education
Schools.cbe.ab.ca. Retrieved on 2012-03-03.

History

The school opened in 1990 with a

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

for the 21st century. The building has been designed to provide an ideal

learning environment The term learning environment can refer to an educational approach, cultural context, or physical setting in which teaching and learning occur. The term is commonly used as a more definitive alternative to "classroom", but it typically refers to ...

with a variety of teaching and learning spaces which provide for individual, small group and class work. The school is fully networked with over 350

workstations A workstation is a special computer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by a single user, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems. The term ''worksta ...

including 60 computers in the John Rollins Media Centre/Library. L.B. Pearson has a 250-seat

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

, acoustic music studio, 5

computer lab A computer lab is a space where computer services are provided to a defined community. These are typically public libraries and academic institution Academic institution is an educational institution dedicated to education and research, which ...

s, teaching

kitchen A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running wate ...

/ cafeteria, 2

nasiums, as well as 64 classrooms,

science lab A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physici ...

s, and shops. The school has over 1591 students enrolled in the 2017–2018 year. In 1990, Lester B. Pearson's architecture was recognized by the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

and

American Association of School Administrators The American Association of School Administrators (AASA), founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 14,000 educational leaders across the United States. AASA's members are chief executive officers and senior-level administrato ...

, Award.

Philosophy

Lester B. Pearson High School is a member of the community of Calgary Senior High Schools and shares with them the Calgary Board of Education's goal of “Educating Tomorrow’s Citizens Today.”

Programs

Lester B. Pearson High School offers a variety of programs; these include: *

ACCESS (Attitude, Community, Competence, Elements of Academic Curriculum, Social Skills)
* French Immersion
Adapted Learning Program (ALP)
*

English Language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

Learning * Summer School Classes *

Career The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defi ...

and

Technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and Reproducibility, reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in me ...

Studies * Dual Credit Program in Professional Foods *Fine and Performing Arts *

Knowledge Knowledge can be defined as Descriptive knowledge, awareness of facts or as Procedural knowledge, practical skills, and may also refer to Knowledge by acquaintance, familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called pro ...

and

Employability Employability refers to the attributes of a person that make that person able to gain and maintain employment. Overview Employability is related to work and the ability to be employed, such as: *The ability to gain initial employment; hence the ...

*Off-campus Education –

Work Experience Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an animal tr ...

and the Registered Apprenticeship Program Further, the school is part of the

Action for Bright Children Society Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

Special departments

Some courses have been constructed on a modular basis giving students flexibility in choosing topics and projects. The building has been designed to provide a variety of teaching and learning spaces which provide for individual, small group and class work. Students in their last two years can opt to join an apprenticeship program.

Athletics

Lester B. Pearson High School competes under the governing body of the Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association (CSHSAA) and the

Alberta Schools Athletic Association The Alberta Schools' Athletic Association (ASAA) is the governing body that oversees amateur athletics in schools for the province of Alberta. It is a voluntary, non profit organization that has 373 member high schools. It enforces policies as d ...

(ASAA). Pearson offers a wide variety of opportunities for students to get involved in the athletic program – as an athlete, trainer, minor official or manager. Pearson competes in both Division I and II depending on the different sports. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the wide array of opportunities the athletic program has to offer. LBP High School Girls Soccer team won their City Championships for Division 3 for the 2012–2013 season on November 1, 2012, with veteran coach Kelly Blake. This marked the first City Championship for Lester B. Pearson Girls Soccer on the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association (CSHSAA).

Clubs and activities

Lester B. Pearson High School offers a wide variety of

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

s and activities such as: * Animation * Athletic Teams * Chess Club * Connections * Creative Writing * Culinary Team * Debate/Speech * Drama Club * Finance Club * F-Word (Feminism) Club * FNMI Meetings * French for the Future * Graduation Committee * Gay Straight Alliance * Junior Achievement * Math Club * Model UN * Multicultural Girls in Action * Muslim Youth Club * Nerd Club (aka Dance Club) * Pearson Press * Robotics/Electronics * School Store * Speak Out * SPIRIT / Leadership * Yearbook * Youth Volunteer Core

Notable alumni

* Manmeet Bhullar – former Canadian politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta *

Melissa O'Neil Melissa Crystal O'Neil (born July 12, 1988) is a Canadian actress and singer. In 2005, O'Neil won the third season of '' Canadian Idol'', the first Canadian female to have won. As an actress, she is known for her roles as Two / Rebecca / Portia ...

– Winner of

Canadian Idol (Season 3) Melissa O'Neil won the title of the first female ''Canadian Idol'' and the youngest Idol in Canada in 2005, beating runner-up Rex Goudie. Semi-finals Semifinal Group 1 (14 June 2005) ;Notes *Daryl Brunt and Ashley Leitão advanced to the top ...

, a reality TV singing competition on CTV. The Rookie, actress * Robbie Sihota - former professional basketball player

References

External links

Lester B. Pearson High School Official Website
{{High Schools in Calgary High schools in Calgary International Baccalaureate schools in Alberta Educational institutions established in 1990 1990 establishments in Alberta