Richmond Hill High School (RHHS) is a
secondary school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
located in the city of
Richmond Hill,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. It is the second-oldest high school in
York Region Municipality (behind
Newmarket High School
Newmarket High School is a secondary school located in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. It is one of four high schools in Newmarket under the jurisdiction of the York Region District School Board and currently educates approximately 1400 students from ...
), being established in the mid-19th century. The school is a host to several regional special education programs, including an
Advanced Placement Program
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewh ...
,
Alternative Education Program,
Cooperative Education Program, Developmentally-Delayed Program, Multiple Exceptionalities Program, and a High Performance Athlete Program. The school has a
gifted program along with all other secondary schools in York Region.
In the 2022–2023
Fraser Institute
The Fraser Institute is a Canadian Conservatism in Canada, conservative public policy think tank registered as a Charitable organization, charity. It is headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. It has ...
rankings, Richmond Hill High School ranked 28th in the province of Ontario, with an overall score of 8.8/10.
[The Fraser Institute: Report Card on Richmond Hill High School](_blank)
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History
Richmond Hill High School is one of the oldest secondary schools in the Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...
, founded on 2 December 1851 in a room donated by Abraham Law. It has since expanded and changed locations on several occasions including in 1853, 1872, 1897, 1924, 1950, and 2000, having had been located on Yonge St. and Wright St. in 'downtown' Richmond Hill before moving to its present location at 201 Yorkland Street in September 2000.
In 1948 or 1949, the Richmond Hill High School Literary Society erected a metal plaque as a list of honour memorial dedicated to the former students of the school who died in service during the First and Second World Wars. The plaque is now mounted on the east wall between the outer and inner doors of the main entrance of the school.
In 2005, former president of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
and 1993 Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
Winner F. W. de Klerk
Frederik Willem de Klerk ( , ; 18 March 1936 – 11 November 2021) was a South African politician who served as the seventh and final state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as Deputy President of South Africa, deputy president a ...
visited the school and spoke to students and staff about his part in the end of the apartheid
Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
system. He also answered students' questions during an hour-long session.
Building and site
The current school building on Yorkland Street is a two-story structure measuring , which was completed and opened in 2000. It houses two gym
A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...
nasiums, a fitness and weight training room, a cafetorium including a stage, a library
A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
, a communications technology room including a green and blue screen, vocal and instrumental/band music rooms, two visual art studio
A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater.
The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal.
Types Art
The studio of any artist, esp ...
classroom/workspaces and six 'pods' with a central computer lab
A computer lab is a space where computer services are provided to a defined community. These are typically public libraries and academic institutions. Generally, users must follow a certain user policy to retain access to the computers. This usua ...
surrounded by four conventional classrooms, a science lab classroom and two teaching staff workrooms/offices.
The original Yorkland Street building was built to accommodate a student population of 1400 students,portables
A portable, demountable or transportable building is a building designed and built to be movable rather than permanently located.
Smaller version of portable buildings are also known as portable cabins. Portable cabins are prefabricated struct ...
as classrooms, with the number of portables growing to nine as of September 2016.
The two older buildings still survive, with the old 1851 building now a coffee shop on Yonge Street, and the 1950 building continuing to operate as the French secondary school "École secondaire Norval-Morrisseau".
'Books' by E.B. Cox
Situated in front of the main entrance of the present Yorkland Street building, in the grass median between the incoming and outbound driveways, is a sculpture entitled "Books" created by renowned and deceased Canadian sculptor E.B. Cox.
In 1967, the staff and students of the school raised $4,000 (equivalent to over $28,000 in 2017) to commission the piece as a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...
. It was originally installed at the Wright Street location upon its completion in 1968, and was moved to Yorkland Street when the school switched locations.
The sculpture is meant to represent a column of books towering up to the sky, representing the importance of books as a tool of learning.
Student activities
Richmond Hill High School currently hosts 71 clubs, with student activities being led by the Richmond Hill High School Student Council (RHHSSC).
Richmond Hill High School Student Council
The Richmond Hill High School Student Council (RHHSSC), popularly known as the RHHS StuCo, is a student body that aims to promote the welfare of all students by coordinating student activities and fostering school spirit and unity. The RHHSSC was established on October 16, 1950, by its founding members, Ethel Layzell, David Graham, Donald Leno, and Murray Johnson. The RHHSSC observes the 13th edition of the Richmond Hill High School Student Council Constitution.
Clubs, committees, and councils
Richmond Hill High School has various clubs that operate throughout the school year. These clubs include:
Athletics
Richmond Hill High School has a variety of sports teams which compete in York Region Athletic Association events. These teams include:
Notable alumni
* Elan Bibas, contestant on ''Love Island'' (American TV series) season 7Josh Binstock
Joshua "Josh" Binstock (born January 12, 1981), nicknamed Binner, is a male two-time Olympian beach volleyball player from Canada. He competed in the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. He also competed for Canada in vol ...
, Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
volleyball player
* Evan Fong
Evan Fong (born May 31, 1992), known online as VanossGaming (or simply Vanoss), is a Canadian YouTuber and musician. As one of the most popular gaming personalities on YouTube, his videography consists of montage-style videos of him and ot ...
, YouTube gaming celebrity and musician also known as VanossGaming
* Michelle Li
Michelle Li (born November 3, 1991) is a Canadian badminton player. Li is the 2014 Commonwealth Games champion and the first Canadian to win an individual gold medal in women's singles badminton at the Commonwealth Games. She has won gold in bo ...
, Canadian Olympic badminton player
* Farley Mowat
Farley McGill Mowat, (May 12, 1921 – May 6, 2014) was a Canadian writer and environmentalist. His works were translated into 52 languages, and he sold more than 17 million books. He achieved fame with the publication of his books on the Ca ...
, World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
veteran, conservationist, and authorMag Ruffman
Margaret "Mag" Ruffman (born February 28, 1957) is a Canadian comedian, actress and television host.
She has played roles in films such as ''Anne of Green Gables'' and ''Anne of Avonlea'' and TV series ''Road to Avonlea''. She was reunited wit ...
, comedian, actress, and television host
* Wendy Shon (Seung-Wan 'Wendy' Shon), singer and member of South Korean K-pop
K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...
girl group Red VelvetUNSW
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public university, public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949.
The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, ...
* Samantha Win Tjhia, Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
Wushu fighter, stunt double and actress
* Kathleen Wynne
Kathleen O'Day Wynne ( ; born May 21, 1953) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 25th premier of Ontario and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. She was Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario), member of provinci ...
, Former Premier of Ontario
The premier of Ontario () is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincia ...
External links
Richmond Hill School Student Council Constitution, 13th Edition
RHHSSC Website
See also
* List of high schools in Ontario
The following is a list of secondary schools in Ontario. Secondary education policy in the Canadian province of Ontario is governed by the Ministry of Education. Secondary education in Ontario includes Grades 9 to 12. The following list include ...
* York Region District School Board
The York Region District School Board (YRDSB), until 1999, English-language Public District School Board No. 16 is the English-language public school board for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada. The York Region District School ...
* Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill ( 2021 population: 202,022) is a city in south-central York Region, Ontario, Canada. Part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is the York Region's third most populous municipality and the 27th most populous municipality in Canada. Ric ...
* Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...
* History Of Richmond Hill, Ontario
References
{{Yorkregionsecondaryschools
York Region District School Board
High schools in the Regional Municipality of York
Education in Richmond Hill, Ontario
Educational institutions established in 1851
1851 establishments in Canada West