Strathcona High School
Strathcona High School, colloquially referred to as Scona, is a public high school located in Edmonton, Alberta. The school was referred to as Strathcona Composite High School up until 2014. A $6.1 million modernization project was completed in 2015 and the school now enrolls approximately 1500 students. Overview. The original Strathcona High School opened in 1908, in the city of Strathcona, Alberta. The school, like the city, were named after Lord Strathcona, a pioneering Scottish businessman and Canadian Parliamentarian, who was very influential in the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The city amalgamated with Edmonton  in 1912, with the school joining the Edmonton Public Schools system. The population of Edmonton grew quickly, and Strathcona Composite High School outgrew its 1908 building. In 1955, the school transferred 20 blocks south to a newly built structure (the current building), on a large block of parkland. (The original 1908 building went through various uses before becoming Old Scona Academic High School in 1976.) Strathcona Composite is located on Edmonton's south side, just south of the Old Strathcona historic district. The school houses about 60 classrooms, several computer labs, two gymnasiums, a library media centre with networked CDs , a cafeteria, a fitness centre and a community pool operated by River City Recreation, a private contractor. Outside the school, the track team uses Rollie Miles Athletic Field. This field was also used as a training facility for the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the 2001 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, the 2005 World Masters Games and hosted olympic trials for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Other facilities nearby the school include South Side Sports Arena, which Phys Ed classes use for the skating unit. Strathcona High School teams use the team name "Strathcona (or Scona) Lords", referring to their school mascot. At  the main entrance of the school, known as the Michener Entrance, an old lamp from the original Old Scona building is on during school hours and hangs above the Strathcona crest which, out of respect, students and staff will not walk across. Global Initiatives. Since 2008, Strathcona High School has united annually to turn the motto “as one who serves” into reality. As of 2019, students have raised over $3 million. By engaging in multiple local service projects and massive global initiatives, Strathcona students have had a chance to learn about servant leadership, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, and social affairs . Students in the Leadership Program work behind the scenes to plan and organize each initiative, but it is the mass participation of all departments, clubs, teams and community allies that has made past campaigns successful. Below is a brief overview of previous campaigns: Theatre productions. Strathcona High School has a well established theatre program. In addition to the major productions listed below, the students at the school, with direction from the staff, participate in and create various other theatre projects including: OneAct Festival (plays directed by Grade 12 Students using student cast and crew), smaller scale productions by the various  Drama classes, pep rallies, and in conjunction with Students Union and other student bodies, a Talent show and an Awards night. Strathcona's Schools Productions: Strathcona has also earned multiple Cappies awards including Outstanding musical for Footloose, West Side Story, Les Misérables, Legally Blonde, In the Heights and many other technical, dance, and acting awards. Student Theater clubs: Dance Ensemble, Technical Theatre Crew, Improv Team, OneActs, Year Play, Cappies Athletics. The school fields teams in: Scona's athletics programs holds various winning streaks in Edmonton's city championships including: Academics. 16 Rhodes Scholars have come from Strathcona. Included in this  number is the first female Rhodes scholar from Alberta. Scona also has an Advanced Placement (AP) program, which is one of the largest in Canada. By completing internationally recognized exams, administered by the College Board, many Strathcona students earn credit that can be applied to first year University courses. Currently, the school offers AP courses in Studio Art, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Physics 2, Capstone Research, Statistics, Computer Science, English Language, English Literature, Spanish Language, European History, French Language, French Literature, and German Language. For the 2014–2015 school year and registered enrolment for the 2015–2016 school year, Strathcona  High School has the largest AP (Advanced Placement) program in Canada. AP grade averages ranked the highest in Canada, and second in North America. In 2012, Strathcona High School was one of 10 schools worldwide to participate in the pilot program of the AP Capstone program. The program became fully operational for the 2014–15 school year, with 100 of the more than 20,000 AP schools participating. Strathcona was the only school in Alberta, and one of only 15 in Canada, to participate in the program in its first years. As of the 2017–2018 school year, there are 27 Canadian schools  participating in the Capstone program. Strathcona, W.P. Wagner High School, and Queen Elizabeth High School, all in Edmonton, were the only Alberta schools participating. Notable alumni. Two of the educators who served as principal of Strathcona High School were influential community leaders in Edmonton. Principal Ross Sheppard would later serve as Superintendent of the Edmonton Public School Board. Principal Harry Ainlay was a long time member of Edmonton City Council, including three consecutive terms as Mayor of Edmonton. Both of them have high schools named for them in the city. Notable alumni include: