W. O. Mitchell Elementary School
W.O. Mitchell Elementary School, commonly abbreviated to W.O.M., is located in the Kanata district of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. There are classes from junior kindergarten to Grade 8. It is named after Canadian writer W. O. Mitchell. School Information. W.O.M. was founded in 1998 as part of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB). It is located at 80 Steeple Chase Drive. There are approximately 420 students as of 2009–2010. W.O.M. gets an influx of grade 7 students from other schools that only go up to grade 6. The school has many clubs, sport teams and  has a large gym, stage, and a computer lab. Different fundraising festivals are held frequently. One notable festival is W.O.M. Fest, which occurs once every year. The school has two wings, two floors, a large yard, six portables and a kindergarten area that was renovated in 2004 because of a large flood. The gym was also replaced for the same reason. On December 19, 2011, the school experienced the same issue, with the exception that the water was shut off, thus preventing major damage. The issue has since been resolved by SimplexGrinnell. The kindergarten wing went through major renovations, and  is now open again. Nowhere else in the school was affected. The process took a little bit over a month to complete, however, no one worked during winter break. Learning. Programs. W.O. Mitchell Elementary School features many programs, including Early French Immersion, a Gifted program, and more. The school also has its own grade 7/8 band, and successful sports teams. Music. W.O. Mitchell Elementary School continues to offer Junior (Gr. 6 & 7) and Senior Concert Band (advanced Gr.7 and Gr.8), as well as jazz ensembles and Primary/Junior Choirs. Many of these ensembles have entered in music festivals where they  have earned awards. All music ensembles enjoy performing free concerts for the community. Grades 6 to 8 students participate in Instrumental Music (traditional band instruments) as part of the Ontario Music Curriculum. In addition, Primary & Junior Music classes are taught using a combination of Orff and Kodaly pedagogy. Sports. W.O. Mitchell Elementary School participates in many sports, including track and field, cross country, and basketball. The gym walls are lined with many banners, with more being won each year. During second recess, depending on which day, different grades have intramural. The intramural sport is usually the sport currently being taught  in class. W.O.M. is also home to two winners of the OCEAA Coach of the Year award. Derek Tysick won the award in 2011, followed by Heather McGrath in 2012. Success. W.O. Mitchell Elementary School reading and writing results are above both board and provincial standards. Clubs and Extra Curricular. Some of the clubs and extra curricular activities that are run at the school include the Student Council, Athletic Council, Reel Cool Productions (a video production club), and Chess Club. There is also an annual Science Fair, as well as numerous sports teams. Every two years, the school mounts a  full-scale musical production, performed primarily by intermediate (grade 7 and 8) students.