Widdifield Secondary School Explained

Widdifield Secondary School
City:North Bay
Province:Ontario
Postcode:P1B 7R2
Country:Canada
Schooltype:High school
Founded:1965
Closed:2020
Schoolboard:Near North District School Board
Superintendent:Roslyn Bowness
Principal:Alison Herst Jackson
Grades:9-12+
Colours:Red and royal blue
Mascot:Wildcat Wade
Team Name:Widdifield Wildcats
Address:320 Ski Club Road
Coordinates:46.3352°N -79.4504°W
Grades Label:Grades
Enrollment:734
Enrollment As Of:2016[1]
Language:English, with French immersion program

Widdifield Secondary School (WSS) was an English public high school in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. It was part of the Near North District School Board.

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 900 to 1,000. Because of the extensive school zone, approximately 35–65% of students were bussed in. The school's motto was "Mens Quaerens in Corpore Sano," loosely meaning "an inquiring mind in a sound body" in Latin.

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,[2] 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 of North Bay and insufficient funding to maintain all three city high schools under their jurisdiction.[3] The decision was challenged by local parents and investigated by the Ontario Ombudsman,[4] but eventually reaffirmed in a 2019 revote.[5]

In January 2018, the school board announced that WSS would close in September 2019.[6] In September 2018, they announced that the closure would be delayed by at least one year, due to difficulties securing increased government funding for the other two local schools.[7]

Widdifield finally closed in June 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, graduates went to the school one at a time to retrieve their diplomas from a table.[8] [9] The students and special programs were distributed to North Bay's other English public schools: Chippewa Secondary School and West Ferris Secondary School.[10]

Post-closure

The Widdifield building has since lain dormant. In 2023, it was used as a filming location for the American movie Everything's Going to Be Great.[11] On February 2 2024, the North Bay Nugget reported on a pair of businessmen who proposed a public–private partnership to convert the building into an athletic centre, but were struggling to gain an audience with the school board.[12]

Drama

Widdifield boasted a small theater and an extracurricular drama troupe called "The Company".

Notable alumni

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: School Information Profile - Widdifield . nearnorthschools.ca . Near North School Board . 29 June 2023.
  2. Web site: Young . Jackie . Directors October Board Report . nearnorthschools.ca . Near North District School Board . June 11, 2024.
  3. Web site: Galor . Shay . Widdifield Secondary School slated for closure, 'It angers me' . CTV News Northern Ontario . CTV News . June 30, 2023.
  4. Web site: Turl . Jeff . Near North School Board failed to follow a fair and transparent process in closing Widdifield says Ontario Ombudsman . baytoday.ca . Bay Today . June 30, 2023.
  5. Web site: White . Erik . Forced to vote again on high school closure, North Bay school board reaffirms 2017 decision . cbc.ca . CBC News . June 30, 2023.
  6. Web site: Girard . Carrie . 3:2 North Bay High School Consolidation – Programming Framework . nearnorthschools.ca . Near North District School Board . June 11, 2024.
  7. Web site: Timeframe for Closure of Widdifield Secondary School Changed . Near North District School board. nearnorthschools.ca . December 16, 2018 . September 10, 2018.
  8. Web site: Taschner . Eric . Final graduating class of Widdifield Secondary School celebrates with drive-by graduation ceremony . CTV News Northern Ontario . CTV News . June 30, 2023.
  9. Web site: Widdifield Farewell Stay Well Grade 12 Celebration . nearnorthschools.ca. Widdifield Secondary School . June 11, 2024.
  10. Web site: Transition Information For Parents and Students For September 2020 . Near North Schools . Widdifield Secondary School . June 11, 2024.
  11. Web site: Dawson . Chris . The old Widdifield Secondary School a movie set? . baytoday.ca . Bay Today . June 30, 2023.
  12. Web site: Hamilton-McCharles . Jennifer . Local investors' big plans for vacant Widdifield Secondary School . North Bay Nugget . Postmedia . June 11, 2024.
  13. Web site: City Council Biography - Inside City Hall - City of North Bay. 2012-07-08.