Acton District High School (abbreviated ADHS) is a high school located in Acton, Ontario, Canada. The school is under the jurisdiction of the Halton District School Board.
| Acton District High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
21 Cedar Rd , , Canada | |
| Coordinates | 43°38′36″N 80°02′00″W / 43.6432°N 80.0333°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | Lux Sit (Latin: Let there be light) |
| Established | 1927 |
| School board | Halton District School Board |
| School number | 890332[1] |
| Principal | Kelli Pfeiffer |
| Grades | 7-12 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Enrolment | 445[1] |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colour(s) | |
| Team name | Bearcats |
| Provincial Ranking (2018-19) [2] | 374 / 739 |
| Provincial Ranking (5 years) | 317 / 630 |
| OSSLT 2019 pass rate (first-time eligible)[1] | 80 % |
| Website | act.hdsb.ca |
History
editThe Acton High School (originally known as the Acton Continuation School) had been governed by the Acton School Board, since its establishment of a High School Department in 1903.[3][4] It would receive its own building (later known as the "old stone school") in 1927.[5]
Administration of the Acton and Milton high schools was taken over by the North Halton High School District Board in 1948,[6] which managed high school affairs for the towns of Acton and Milton, and the townships of Esquesing and Nassagaweya, with an aim to replace the schools with a newly constructed building at Speyside. This plan was effectively scuttled when Georgetown decided to accede to the Board in 1950 on the understanding that the project would not proceed,[7] and the Speyside plan was cancelled in July 1949.[8] This would lead to the construction of a new high school building at Acton, which was opened in November 1954.[9]
Following the North Halton board's three-way split in 1959,[10] the Acton High School District Board took over at the beginning of 1960,[11] and would administer the school until the formation of the Halton Board of Education in 1969.
The high school would move to its present location in 1977, with the building being officially opened in November that year.[5]
In September 2021, because of declining high school enrolment (mainly triggered by the increasing preference of Acton's Catholic families to send their children over to Georgetown's Christ the King Catholic Secondary School),[12] Acton students in grades 7 and 8 would have their classes transferred over to that building.[12] This move was quickly ratified by the Board.[13][14]
The school's motto is Lux Sit, which roughly translates as "Let there be light." Why this particular phrase was chosen in place of the more classical rendition of Fiat Lux is not clear.
Ranking
editThe 2019 Fraser Institute Report Card on Secondary Schools gives ADHS the following ranking:[2]
| Report | Current | Five years |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 374 / 739 | 317 / 630 |
| Report | Rating |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 6.3/10 |
| 2018 | 6.4/10 |
| 2017 | 6.4/10 |
| 2016 | 6.3/10 |
| 2015 | 5.8/10 |
| 2014 | 6.1/10 |
| 2013 | 7.3/10 |
Sports
editDuring the 1960s, ADHS athletes accrued a notable record in track and field events, winning three individual OFSSA championships, accepting four related athletic scholarships to US colleges, winning a CWOSSA cross-country title, and competing in British Empire Games or Olympic trials three times.[15] Until 1971, Acton competed in the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association (CWOSSA), at which point it opted to take a hiatus to concentrate on intramural sport.[16] That was after a recent streak of winning titles in hockey,[17] basketball[18] and athletics.[19][20] From 1973, the school moved to the Halton Secondary School Athletic Association,[16] which is now part of the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference.
The school teams are collectively known as the Bearcats. Their former name was the Redmen.[21]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Secondary School Profile - Acton District High School". Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ a b "Report Card for Acton District High School". Fraser Institute. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ "The Continuation Classes". The Acton Free Press. February 5, 1903. p. 1.
- ^ "Acton Loses Services of Principal Stewart". The Acton Free Press. July 3, 1919. p. 1.
- ^ a b "Official opening Tuesday for new high school". The Acton Free Press. November 30, 1977. p. 6.
- ^ "North Halton School District to be Effective in 1948". The Acton Free Press. June 12, 1947. pp. 1, 5.
- ^ "Joining the District". The Georgetown Herald. May 25, 1949. p. 8.
- ^ "Speyside "Out" as Central School Location". The Georgetown Herald. July 13, 1949. pp. 1, 9.
- ^ "Dunlop Warns Against Easy Approach to School Courses". The Acton Free Press. November 25, 1954. p. 1.
- ^ "Okay High School Board Dissolution Three Town Split Effective January 1". The Acton Free Press. June 18, 1959. p. 1.
- ^ "Choose J.H. Creighton Chairman For Acton High School Board". The Acton Free Press. January 7, 1960. p. 1.
- ^ a b Hennessey, Melanie (January 16, 2020). "Acton High School is losing students: Here's how the board plans to fix it". The Independent and Free Press.
- ^ Hennessey, Melanie (February 14, 2020). "Acton school boundary changes up for approval". The Independent and Free Press.
- ^ Hennessey, Melanie (March 5, 2020). "Major grade shuffle at Acton schools approved by Halton District School Board trustees". The Independent and Free Press.
- ^ Gibbons, Denis (February 28, 1973). "AHS track and field accomplishments could be foundation for local club". The Acton Free Press. p. 6.
- ^ a b Gibbons, Denis (January 10, 1973). "Notes and Quotes from the world of sport". The Acton Free Press. p. 4.
- ^ "Acton District High Redmen CWOSSA 'B' hockey champs". The Acton Free Press. March 10, 1971. p. 5.
- ^ "First time Sr. Redmen take CWOSSA". The Acton Free Press. March 5, 1969. p. 8.
- ^ "Acton wins District 4 CWOSSA field day". The Acton Free Press. May 7, 1969. p. 1.
- ^ "Athletic awards presented ending good year for ADHS". The Acton Free Press. June 18, 1969. p. 12.
- ^ "Rebels too much for Redmen". Independent and Free Press. 1998-10-28. p. 30. Retrieved 2012-01-24.