Steveston-London Secondary School

(Redirected from London Secondary School)

Steveston-London Secondary School (SLSS) is a public high school in Richmond, British Columbia for pupils grades 8–12. Steveston-London Secondary follows the semester course system.

Steveston-London Secondary
Address
Map
6600 Williams Rd

, ,
V7E 1K5

Canada
Coordinates49°08′20″N 123°08′57″W / 49.13889°N 123.14917°W / 49.13889; -123.14917
Information
School typePublic, high school
Founded2007
School boardSchool District 38 Richmond
SuperintendentScott Robinson
Area trusteeSandra Nixon
School number03838045
PrincipalAnnie Mathew Varghese
Staff95
Grades8–12
Enrollment1100 (September 2022[1])
Colour(s)  
MascotSharks
Team nameSLSS Sharks
Websiteslss.sd38.bc.ca

History

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Before the establishment of Steveston-London Secondary School in 2007, Steveston Secondary School and Charles E. London Secondary School were two separate schools located 400 metres apart on either side of a large field [2]

Steveston Secondary School

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The school opened in 1956 after voters in Richmond approved plans to construct additional schools in the fast-growing community and it was named after the nearby neighbourhood of Steveston.[3] The school plans included 16 classrooms, industrial arts areas, and home economics units, as well as a gymnasium.[4] Because of increases in enrollment,[5] the school board authorized an addition of 10 classrooms rooms in December 1957.[6] The first class of students graduated in 1958.[7]

After starting as a Junior Secondary, then in 1959 becoming a combined Junior-Senior Secondary, in 1965 the school became a Senior Secondary School serving only grades 11 and 12. In 1996 it was expanded again to serve all grades 8 through 12 after Richmond's junior and senior schools were amalgamated.[8]

In need of repairs, a decision was made in 2005 to close the school, which closed in 2007.[9] The property was sold to Polygon Homes Ltd. for $41 million [10][11] and the building was demolished over the course of mid-2015 to summer 2016.[12] [13]

Charles E. London Secondary School

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Charles E. London Junior Secondary School, officially opened in 1975 serving grades 8 through 10, and was named after an early Richmond settler named Charles London[14][15]

A fire in 1991 caused extensive damage to administrative and counseling offices, causing smoke damage to a staff room. Damages amounted to &750,000,[16] and Richmond School District 38 authorized 7000 square metres of demolition and renovation, as well as 3200 square metres of new construction and about 0.67 hectares of asphalt paving and landscaping.[17] Guardians of a former student were sued for almost $1 million for damages related to the a fire.[18]

One innovative program at Charles E. London was the aviation career preparation program, a partnership with Canadian Pacific Airlines that prepared students to enter flight school or the BCIT aircraft maintenance engineering program.[19]

Formation of Steveston-London Secondary School

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Due to declining enrollments, the Steveston Secondary and Charles E.London Secondary were merged in 2007 with a 19 million dollar renovation from the Government of British Columbia. It occupies the site of the former Charles E. London Secondary School.[20][21]

The Vancouver Sun reported,

The name "Steveston-London Secondary School" was chosen on June 14, 2006, as decided in a student vote from both schools.[22][23][24]

Steveston secondary had a 50-year history as one of Richmond's first two secondary schools when it was announced in 2004 that it would merge with nearby London secondary. The schools were only about 400 metres apart and shared the same playing field. Steveston's building was old and badly in need of repairs, while London was newer and slated for a big addition. Both schools had declining enrolment, so trustees decided a merger was in order.

— Tracy Sherlock[10]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "Our School Story | Steveston-London Secondary School". slss.sd38.bc.ca. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  2. ^ "Vancouver could look to Richmond for a lesson in blending schools". The Vancouver Sun. June 24, 2016. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  3. ^ "Richmond Okays Schools Program: $1.5 Million Building Plan Gets Overwhelming Approval of Voters". The Vancouver Sun. May 31, 1954. p. 10. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "New Steveston School Plans Given Okay". The Vancouver Sun. March 19, 1955. p. 53. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Big Increase in Students". The Vancouver Sun. December 9, 1957. p. 43. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  6. ^ "Contract Let for Addition to School". The Vancouver Sun. December 20, 1957. p. 16. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  7. ^ "Accelerated students to graduate". The Province. April 23, 1958. p. 5. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  8. ^ "Steveston Secondary School – City of Richmond, BC". www.richmond.ca. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "Focus on Steveston High". The Richmond Review. April 26, 2007. pp. A20. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Sherlock, Tracy (June 24, 2016). "Vancouver could look to Richmond for a lesson in blending schools". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  11. ^ Hemel, Martin van den (July 6, 2006). "Steveston High goes up for sale". The Richmond Review. pp. A1, A6. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023. Continued at "Steveston for sale" Archived November 3, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Sherlock, Tracy (June 25, 2016). "A study in blending schools". The Vancouver Sun. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  13. ^ "Sale of Property, School District No. 38 (Richmond)". The Richmond Review. January 6, 2007. pp. A5. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  14. ^ "Scholarships now $850 as incentive to students". The Province. October 4, 1975. p. 7. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "Charles E. London Secondary School – City of Richmond, BC". www.richmond.ca. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  16. ^ "School Still Out". The Province. January 11, 1991. p. 31. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  17. ^ "School District #38 (Richmond) Invitation to Tender". The Province. August 20, 1993. p. 39. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  18. ^ "Teen's guardians sued in million-dollar blaze". The Province. August 25, 1993. p. 4. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "If Canadian is dead, they didn't tell employees". The Vancouver Sun. October 4, 1999. p. 5. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  20. ^ Yap, John (April 26, 2008). "Real Progress, Real Investment, Strong Economy". The Richmond Review. pp. A48. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  21. ^ Hemel, Martin van den (September 27, 2008). "Going green has its hiccups". The Richmond Review. pp. A6. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  22. ^ Ferreras, Jesse (April 30, 2007). "Pupils, grads, teachers say goodbye to school". The Vancouver Sun. p. 15. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  23. ^ Meixner, Kira (July 7, 2007). "In the vernacular". The Richmond Review. pp. A16, A17. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023. Continued at "In the vernacular" Archived November 3, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
  24. ^ Hemel, Martin van den (September 8, 2007). "New Steveston-London school opened in the nick of time". The Richmond Review. pp. A16. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  25. ^ "Steveston-London hoops grad lighting up NCAA". Richmond News. December 14, 2020. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
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