Webber Academy is a non-denominational, co-educational, university preparatory, private school 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. Webber Academy offers academics spanning from junior kindergarten through grade 12. It was founded in 1997 by Dr. Neil Webber, a former teacher and professor at

Mount Royal University Mount Royal University (MRU) is a public university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. History Mount Royal University was founded by Alberta provincial charter by the Arthur Sifton government on December 16, 1910 and officially opened on September 8, ...

, who also served as an Alberta Cabinet Minister in the Hon.

Peter Lougheed Edgar Peter Lougheed ( ; July 26, 1928 – September 13, 2012) was a Canadian lawyer and Progressive Conservative politician who served as the tenth premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985, presiding over a period of reform and economic growth. Bo ...

and Hon.

Don Getty Donald Ross Getty (August 30, 1933 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as the 11th premier of Alberta between 1985 and 1992. A member of the Progressive Conservatives, he served as Energy Minister and Federal and Intergo ...

governments. The campus consists of a junior kindergarten and senior kindergarten facility, a main building with elementary and senior school wings, third floor science centre, two full-size

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 ...

nasiums, an outdoor sports court, several playgrounds and a 400-meter running track. The school is situated on a 47-acre campus in southwest Calgary, currently home to 977 students (as of Oct 2016). Recently, an arts centre was built for the drama and music programmes, and its 500-seat theatre and dressing rooms can be rented out for public events.

Criticism

In 2012, two Muslim students were denied the right to privately pray on campus grounds. The students continued to conduct their prayers outside the building, but were repeatedly interrupted and questioned by campus staff. After a filed complaint, a human rights tribunal decided that "despite ebbers specifically stated goal of making people of all religious backgrounds feel welcome, its actions, objectively viewed, were not welcoming." Webber Academy refused to re-enroll the students the following school year, and was fined $26,000 by the

Alberta Human Rights Commission The Alberta Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is a quasi-judicial human rights body in Alberta, Canada, created by the provincial government. The Commission was established under and tasked with administering the ''Alberta Human Rights Act'' (AHRA ...

in 2015. In 2018, Alberta Education discontinued an online resource that included a question regarding positive effects of residential schools. Neil Webber, president of the academy, noted that " ebber's Staffwant our teachers to discuss both positive and negative aspects of esidential schools" In the same interview, Webber also mentioned "Whether it's slavery in the U.S. or Canada's relationship with Iraq or Iran, I think...you need to consider both the positive and negative benefits."

References

External links

* High schools in Calgary Middle schools in Calgary Elementary schools in Calgary Private schools in Alberta Educational institutions established in 1997 1997 establishments in Alberta {{Alberta-school-stub