Widdifield Secondary School

Widdifield Secondary School (WSS) was a high school located in North Bay, Ontario. It was a member of the Near North District School Board.

Widdifield Secondary School
Address
320 Ski Club Road

North Bay
,
Ontario
,
P1B 7R2

Canada
Coordinates46.33522°N 79.45043°W / 46.33522; -79.45043
Information
School typeHigh school
Founded1965
School boardNear North District School Board
SuperintendentRoslyn Bowness
PrincipalAlison Herst Jackson
Grades9-12+
Enrollment734 (2016[1])
LanguageEnglish/French
Colour(s)Red and Royal Blue   
MascotWildcat Wade
Team nameWiddifield Wildcats
Websitewww.nearnorthschools.ca/widdifield/

Overview

The school was founded in 1965 and named after Joseph Henry Widdifield, a nineteenth-century physician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for York North. It had a capacity of 1,164 students and the active student body generally ranged from 1,000 to 900. Because of the extensive area of the school zone, approximately 35-50% of students were bussed in. The school's motto was "Mens Quaerens in Corpore Sano," loosely meaning "an inquiring mind in a sound body."

Widdifield was the first school in Canada to incorporate a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)- Arts and Culture certificate program. It later obtained SHSM programs in Construction, Environment and Health and Wellness, as well as a fine arts magnet program called Arts Nipissing.

Closure

In September 2017, the Near North District School Board voted to close Widdifield, citing the declining youth population in North Bay and insufficient funding to maintain all three local high schools.[2] The decision was challenged by local parents and investigated by the Ontario Ombudsman,[3] but eventually reaffirmed in a 2019 revote.[4]

In January 2018, it was announced the school would close in June 2019. In September, it was announced that the closure would be delayed by at least one year, due to difficulties securing increased funding for the other two high schools.[5] WSS finally closed in June 2020.[6]

In 2023, the building was used as a filming location for American movie Everything's Going to Be Great.[7]

Drama
  • Widdifield's The Company
    • International Thespian Society Festival, numerous Widdifield productions have traveled to the annual drama festival, which was held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
    • Sears Ontario Drama Festival, Widdifield was a part of the drama Festival for almost 50 years and have won over 100 awards in the District, Regional and Provincial rounds.
    • Widdifield was also the home of the local theatre program, Theatre Out Reach On Stage, in the summertime.

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. "School Information Profile - Widdifield" (PDF). nearnorthschools.ca. Near North School Board. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  2. Galor, Shay. "Widdifield Secondary School slated for closure, 'It angers me'". CTV News Northern Ontario. CTV News. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  3. Turl, Jeff. "Near North School Board failed to follow a fair and transparent process in closing Widdifield says Ontario Ombudsman". baytoday.ca. Bay Today. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  4. White, Erik. "Forced to vote again on high school closure, North Bay school board reaffirms 2017 decision". cbc.ca. CBC News. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  5. "TIMEFRAME FOR CLOSURE OF WIDDIFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL CHANGED". nearnorthschools.ca. September 10, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  6. Taschner, Eric. "Final graduating class of Widdifield Secondary School celebrates with drive-by graduation ceremony". CTV News Northern Ontario. CTV News. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  7. Dawson, Chris. "The old Widdifield Secondary School a movie set?". baytoday.ca. Bay Today. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  8. "City Council Biography - Inside City Hall - City of North Bay". Retrieved 2012-07-08.
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