Preston High School (Ontario)

Preston High School

Aeterna non caduca.
Things that last, never perish.
Address
550 Rose Street
Cambridge, Ontario, N3H 2E6
Canada
Coordinates 43°23′27.61″N 80°21′54.31″W / 43.3910028°N 80.3650861°W / 43.3910028; -80.3650861
Information
School type High School
Founded 1934
School board Waterloo Region DSB
School number 936480
Principal Joe Bell[1]
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 1045 (September 2015)
Language English
Area Preston & Doon-Pioneer Park
Colour(s) Maroon and Gray         
Team name Preston Panthers
Website phs.wrdsb.ca

Preston High School, located on the bank of the Grand River in Cambridge, Ontario, first opened in 1934. Feeder schools are William G. Davis Senior Public School, Clemens Mill Public School and Silverheights Public School in Cambridge and Doon Public School in Kitchener. It is one of sixteen secondary schools in the Waterloo Region District School Board. In 2007, approximately 300 students entered grade 9 and the total enrolment was 1 253, which is a low number compared to other schools in the Waterloo region.[2]

Curriculum

Preston has programs available in: English, mathematics, science, health and physical education, languages (Spanish, German, and French), geography, history, family studies, business arts, visual arts (including photography), dramatic arts, music, and technological studies. Preston was an officially designated magnet school for enhanced academic students, but now the "Enhanced" program is only available to students who live within the school's catchment area.[2]

Facilities

Preston High School's facilities include 58 classrooms, a small cafetorium, 2 gyms—one single, one double—a library, 6 technological studies rooms, 2 art rooms, 6 computer labs, and a music room with 3 practice rooms. A new science wing with four science labs and a computer room was added in September 2004.

The back campus includes a playing field for football, field hockey, and rugby with access to a smaller practice field. There is also a tennis court. The track and field team practices on a regulation size cinder track. Beside the Grand River and near the school is the Linear Trail, a 3.5 km community trail which the cross country and track and field teams use. Two ice surfaces, the Preston Auditorium and the Homuth Arena, are within walking distance.[2]

Athletics

Preston's sports consist of football, basketball, volleyball, badminton, curling, ice hockey, rugby, golf, soccer, tennis, cross-country, track and field, and field hockey.

Football is one of the biggest sports at Preston. The senior football team have been successful over the years and have won the title of WCCSSA Champions in 2003, 2004 and 2006. However, in 2007, Preston was upset by Galt Collegiate Institute in the playoffs semifinals. In the 2012 season the Panther's Junior football won the WCSSA championship, defeating the Jacob Hespeler Hawks.

Preston won the WCSSAA Championship for Boys Hockey in 2015 beating the Grand River Renegades 2-1, capturing their first title since 1996.

Preston has also had success with their cross-country, badminton, and curling teams. They have won many awards in these sports and sometimes the teams make it to WCCSSA and CWOSSA.

Arts

Preston High School has consistent achievement in the Arts departments. Each year, students in visual arts participate in the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery's student-only "Expressions" exhibit, and those in the photographic classes contribute to PhotoSensitive projects.

In Drama, Preston's Improv Team has finished within the top 3 teams in the Guelph/Niagara Region for the past 10 years in the Canadian Improv Games, and placed top 10 and top 5 overall in Canada in 2005 and 2009 respectively. Preston has also seen great success at the Sears Ontario Drama Festival, frequently moving onto the Regional showcase, and receiving awards of merit and excellence for their productions.

The music department offers many traditional big band instruments, with a new addition of acoustic guitars. Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Concert Choir are all extracurricular opportunities. These groups compete in the Georgian Bay Regional MusicFest, and the Ontario Vocal Festival.[2]

The school is also the first in Waterloo Region to start an online high school radio station licensed by SOCAN. Listeners can stream PHS Panther Radio to hear various student-run shows and podcasts.

Global Outreach

Global Outreach is a program in which students do charity work in different countries. It is run by the Geography Department and all their work is non profit.

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ↑ "PHS Staff List". Preston High School. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "School Profile" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  3. ↑ Scott Thornan Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights, LB.com, Retrieved 11-22-2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/5/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.