Richmond Secondary School is the City of Richmond's first high school. Originally established in 1927 on Cambie and Sexsmith street as Richmond High School, it has undergone location, name and organizational structure changes throughout its history.[3]
Originally, Richmond High served grades 9 to 11 only (graduation was grade 11 at that time). The first major change occurred in 1937 with the addition of grades 8 and 9 to the school. The school was renamed "Richmond Junior-Senior High School" to reflect the change.
In 1952, Richmond Junior-Senior High School moved to its current location at the intersection of Minoru Blvd (then Foster Road) and Granville Avenue. It was also then converted back to a senior high school, offering programs for grades 11 and 12 students only. Its name was changed to "Richmond Senior High School". The old facility on Cambie was renamed "Cambie Junior High School" and served grades 7 through 10.
In 1996, all Richmond secondary schools were converted to full spectrum grade 8–12 schools. Those schools had formerly been either senior (grades 11–12) or junior high schools (grades 8–10). Richmond High was then renamed "Richmond Secondary School".
In the early 2000s, construction of a $16.6 million replacement building began on the school's grass field.[4] The new building opened on 5January2004. That same year, the 50-year-old previous building was demolished and replaced with artificial turf.[5]
As of 2018/2019, the following IB courses are offered:[7]
English A1 HL
French B HL/SL
Mandarin B HL/SL
Japanese B HL/SL
Spanish B HL/SL
Geography HL/SL
History HL
Digital Society HL/SL
Business Management HL/SL
Chemistry HL/SL
Biology HL/SL
Physics HL/SL
Mathematics AA HL/SL
Theatre Arts HL
Visual Arts HL/SL
Music HL/SL
Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS)
Extended Essay (EE)
Global Perspectives Program
Richmond Secondary offers the Global Perspectives Program for Grade 12 students. Founded by former RHS teacher Ken Lorenz in 1995, in the Global Perspectives course students embark on humanitarian trips to provide aid for those in developing countries. The Global Perspectives team of 2012/2013 assisted the Samoa government in repairing damages caused by the 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami. This represented the 19th annual project since the programme's conception.[8]
AVID program
Richmond Secondary is one of the first schools in Canada to offer the AVID program (Advancement Via Individual Determination) to grade 9–12 students.[9] The AVID program is an academic support program that prepares students for post-secondary education and enrollment, started in 1980 at Clairemont High School in San Diego.
Pre-employment and career-prep programs
Richmond Secondary offers courses and programs designed to prepare students for life beyond high school and the workforce. In addition to applied skills elective courses such as drafting and CAD, woodworks, metal fabrication, and automotives, students may choose to enroll in the pre-employment program. This program combines academics and work experience to help students develop skills necessary for the job market.[7]
Richmond Secondary also hosts the school district's only student chef training program. Student-trainees prepare meals and desserts in the school's full kitchen which are served during breakfast and lunch hours.[7] Richmond Secondary also has a well-equipped metal and woodworking shop, theatre, and music room.[10]
RSS also hosts the "Colt Young Parent Program", a program designed to meet the needs of pregnant and parenting teenagers.[11]
Athletics
Richmond Secondary offers athletic teams for students including basketball, cross country, soccer, volleyball, swimming, golf, badminton, Ultimate Frisbee, table tennis, and track and field.
Basketball
The Richmond High basketball team were perennial provincial championship contenders in the 1980s and 90s under BC Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, coach Bill Disbrow.[12][13] Disbrow's program and the teams he worked with have been viewed as the best in Canada during the 80s and 90s.[14][15][16][17] Richmond High has won a record five BC AAA Provincial Championships and produced five BC MVPs, 25 All-stars, and many players who have played in the NCAA and on the Canada national men's basketball team.[citation needed]
Richmond Secondary BC AAA Basketball Provincial Championship Games[18]
Richmond High also boasted a strong football team throughout the 1980s and 90s. The football program at Richmond Secondary ended in 2000 due to a shortage of players.[citation needed]
Richmond Secondary BC AAA Football Provincial Championship Games[20]
The team has lasted for many years. But when two coaches from Vancouver joined the program in 2009, the team started to become a powerhouse. The program produced many junior national and world level players. Richmond High ended up with consecutive wins in cities and a 4th-place finish in Tier 1 provincials ('14),[21] marking the highest standing of a Richmond School in provincials until 2016.[citation needed]
Richmond Secondary School is notable for its racial diversity and its large Asian population. As of the 2009–2010 school year, 54.8% of students listed Chinese (either Mandarin, Cantonese, or a local dialect), and 72.3% of students reported a language other than English as the primary language used at home.[23] While unusual for a North American school, the city of Richmond has the highest percentage of immigrants of any city in Canada.[24]
Richmond High's feeder schools are Samuel Brighouse Elementary School, William Douglas Ferris Elementary School, and Blundell Elementary School.[25]
