Bridlewood Community Elementary School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bridlewood Community Elementary School | |
 |
|
| Address | |
| 63 Bluegrass Dr. Ottawa, Ontario, K2M 1G2, Canada |
|
| Public transit access | OC Transpo Route 161 [1] |
| Information | |
| School board | Ottawa Carleton District School Board |
| School district | Zone 2 |
| Area trustee | Cathy Curry |
| Principal | Pauline McKenna-Upshaw |
| Vice principal | Mark Heckman |
| Staff | 50 |
| Grades | Junior Kindergarten to Grade Eight |
| Language | English |
| Mascot | Bronco |
| Team name | Bridlewood Broncos |
| Colours | Brown, black, white and red |
| Founded | 19 April 1988[2] |
| Enrollment | 385[3] (2006-2007) |
| Communities served | Bridlewood |
| Homepage | Welcome to www.bces.ca |
Bridlewood Community Elementary School (also BCES or simply Bridlewood) is an elementary and middle school located on 63 Bluegrass Drive, in Kanata, Ottawa, Canada.[4] Operated by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, it is situated in the Zone 2 school board district with Cathy Curry as its trustee,[5] in the Kanata neighbourhood of Bridlewood. The current principal of Bridlewood C.E.S is Mrs. Pauline McKenna-Upshaw.[4] Its vice-principal is Mr. Mark Heckman.[4]
Bridlewood celebrated the 20th anniversary of its founding on April 19, 2008.[2] It operates on a Balanced School Day schedule.
Contents |
[edit] Organisation
Bridlewood C.E.S classes range from junior kindergarten to grade 8.[6] There are also six intermediate classes, including a gifted grade 7/8 class, and two core French classes. The school currently has a student attendance of 385 (2007-2008) students[3], and approximately fifty staff members (including non-teaching staff).
In the 2007-08 school year, Bridlewood changed its schedule to a Balanced School Day schedule. There are now six 50-minute periods and two 45-minute nutritional/activity breaks in each day. This replaces the old system, with two short recesses and a lunch hour every day. Several other schools in the board had previously adopted the Balanced School Day.
[edit] History
Plans for an elementary school on Bluegrass Drive can be traced as far back as the late 1970s. The space was formerly occupied by a community centre building, and an extensive park which stretched to the limit of the land that was the community of Bridlewood at the time. The park consisted of two play structures, one built for young children and one for older children, a baseball diamond, a small basketball court, and a soccer field at the back. During the winter months, a skating rink was built next to the community centre, so that the washrooms could serve double duty as space for people to put their skates.
The community centre itself was small, consisting of a main hall that was used for events, along with a small kitchen and storage room. In later years, two trailers were parked near the building to add extra room. The centre and the park were both removed to allow for construction of the school in the late 1980s.
[edit] Programs
Bridlewood C.E.S. has a computer lab, a gym, and a library with a collection of over 15,000 books. Bridlewood also supports a Special Support Unit, a Gifted class, an ESL class, and a Dual diagnosis class.[4]
[edit] Music
Bridlewood C.E.S. has an intermediate music program like most other schools in Ottawa. All intermediate students (gr.7-8) have the option of joining a band, either the Junior Band, for grade seven students, or the Senior Band, for grade eights. The bands consist of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments, as well as bass guitars.
The school is notable for its excellent Senior Band. The band is led by grade 7/8 music teacher, Mr. Williamson. Since 1994, the Senior Band, consisting largely of grade 8 students and a few grade 7 students, has made an annual trip to Toronto. The focus of this two to three day trip has included competitive performances at Canada's Wonderland and Ontario Place. Band members also visit tourist attractions such as Niagara Falls, Marineland, Ontario, and Clifton Hill.
[edit] Sports
The school generally does well in local sports tournaments. Its basketball teams, especially, are known for consistently good performance. In 2006, the school won two gold medals in local tournaments and one silver in the famous Glashan Tournament.
Other teams at the school include Soccer, Volleyball, Badminton, Football, Bordenball, Track and Field and Basketball.
[edit] High voltage transmission lines controversy
There has been a controversy in the community since the installation of high voltage transmission lines in 1984. This intensified with health concerns over children following the opening of the school in 1988.[7]
[edit] Student awards
Two students won a school plaque, awarded by the Canada Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, in 2007 for a paper entitled "Can you slow down the spreading rate of spilled oil?".[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Bridlewood
- ^ a b Peggy Feltmate - Kanata's Councillor - City of Ottawa
- ^ a b "School Profile 2007-2008", Ottawa Carleton District School Board
- ^ a b c d "School website"
- ^ "Trustee Cathy Curry — Zone 2", Ottawa Carleton District School Board, accessed 2 June 2008
- ^ Ottawa-Carleton District School Board | Community Corner | School Programs
- ^ "EMFs & Schools & Playgrounds", Get Pure Power, November 3, 2004
- ^ "2007 Special Award Winners", Ottawa Regional Science Fair
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||
