Royal West Academy: Difference between revisions
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'''Royal West Academy''' (commonly referred to as '''Royal West''' or '''RWA''') is a public [[anglophone]] [[French immersion]] [[secondary school]] in [[Montreal]], [[Canada]]. Royal West has limited enrolment, and prospective [[students]] are only admitted after an [[entrance examination]] and an [[interview]]. It is situated on Easton Avenue in [[Montreal West]], but its students come from all parts of the [[Greater Montreal Area]]. Royal West Academy is part of the [[English Montreal School Board]]. |
'''Royal West Academy''' (commonly referred to as '''Royal West''' or '''RWA''') is a public [[anglophone]] [[French immersion]] [[secondary school]] in [[Montreal]], [[Canada]]. Royal West has limited enrolment, and prospective [[students]] are only admitted after an [[entrance examination]] and an [[interview]]. It is situated on Easton Avenue in [[Montreal West]], but its students come from all parts of the [[Greater Montreal Area]]. Royal West Academy is part of the [[English Montreal School Board]]. |
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In [[2005]], the [[Fraser Institute]]'s report on [[Quebec]] [[high school]]s ranked Royal West as 39th out of over 400 other schools, making it the highest ranking anglophone school in the public sector. Royal West has also placed high in scholastic [[math competition]]s.[http://www.mathleague.com/reports/2004_05/grade678/CN_8.HTM] |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 22:45, 28 February 2006
Royal West Academy (commonly referred to as Royal West or RWA) is a public anglophone French immersion secondary school in Montreal, Canada. Royal West has limited enrolment, and prospective students are only admitted after an entrance examination and an interview. It is situated on Easton Avenue in Montreal West, but its students come from all parts of the Greater Montreal Area. Royal West Academy is part of the English Montreal School Board.
In 2005, the Fraser Institute's report on Quebec high schools ranked Royal West as 39th out of over 400 other schools, making it the highest ranking anglophone school in the public sector. Royal West has also placed high in scholastic math competitions.[1]
History
The grounds where Royal West is now located was once the Saint Philip's Anglican Church. In 1894, the Aberdeen School was founded. It was renamed as the Montreal West High School in 1921. Ten years later, in 1931, the building was demolished and a bigger building was built in its place. In 1951 and 1959, an extension to the main structure was built to make way for an elementary school. The extensions are what is now the west wing.
In 1980, the elementary school was closed because of poor enrollment. The Royal Vale elementary school moved in, but was closed as well. Finally, in 1983, the Royal Vale french immersion high school and Montreal West High School merged to form Royal West Academy. The new Royal West Academy is quite different from its predecessor; despite being a public school, it has a uniform and requires an entrance examination.
The Royal West Academy yearbook is called The Phoenix, in homage to the fact that Royal West Academy was born out of Montreal West High School. Students are encouraged to submit art and literature for The Phoenix and there is one illustration of a Phoenix that is chosen each year for the cover.
Areas of the School
The main structure is the shape of a long rectangle. The hallway runs the length of the longer side of the rectangle. Classrooms are located on either side of the hallway. This main section of the school is three stories high.
First Floor
The first floor has three major entrances into the school. The entrance in the centre of the school opens to Royal West's foyer. The South entrance on Easton leads to the cafeteria and the North entrance on Avon is primarily used by students arriving by commuter train or by bus.
The Auditorium can be accessed by two doors in the foyer. A passage leads towards the Girl's and Boy's Gym, and the music room where teacher/conductor music classes and the school's honour band perform. The first floor also houses the prefect's room, the school store, the studio of the Shakespeare troop (the "Bardolators"), and the woodworking room.
The Second Floor
The second floor is home to the school computer labs and the bulk of the math Department classrooms. The library, the main school office, the Staff Lounge and the detention room are located here as well.
The Third Floor
The third floor houses subjects taught mainly to the upper grades. Departments located here include the science laboratories, biology, chemistry, and physics. The floor also includes a number of math, geography and history classes.
The West Wing
Shaped like the letter L, this section of the school was a later addition added to the back of the school grounds. Unlike the main structure of the school, the west wing rises only two stories. The first floor of the west wing houses most of the French classes. Some social science classes are also situated here, as well as the visual arts room. The second floor of the west wing houses the English and Drama Departments. To the school's students, a notable feature of the west wing is its second floor door leading to the main building. Being that this entranceway is a single door (rather than double doors), it often causes lineups on both sides and sometimes leads to students being late for their upcoming class.
School Grounds
Royal West has two outdoor fields, one to the front of the school and one to the back. The front field is a rectangular field with parameters suited mainly to soccer and football. A combination soccer net and football goalpost is located at both ends of the field. There are also baseball cages located in the two corners furthest from the school building. This field is used annually on January 1st for the Montreal West Garbage Bowl event.
The back field of the school has a strange shape due to a private residence which is located on part of what would otherwise be the field. Its shape and it's bumpy terrain make it less suitable for sports than the front field. As such, this field is used mainly at times when there is more than one class of gym going on at the same time, forcing one of the two classes to use this field or during special events like the "Welcome Back BBQ".
Curriculum
The school teaches grades 7 to 11, in line with most high schools in the province of Quebec. As a school advocating French immersion, many of the classes are taught in French. The curriculum is set up in such a way that as a student progresses towards their final year, more and more of the classes are taught in English.
Grade 7 students are enrolled in an enriched integrated science program, and are required to participate in yearly science fairs during at least one of their five years at the school if they choose to go into the physics and chemistry stream in grade 11.
Students in grades 8 to 11 are divided by ability whereby some are put into an advanced math program that has them completing math work that is, on average, a year above what they would normally be learning in their current grade.
Students are also expected to complete three "credits" during each academic year. A student must complete a sports, community service, and cultural credit. These credits can be obtained either by signing up and completing and event/undertaking suggested or organized by the school's teachers (usually advertised in the Royal West Academy daily bulletin). Alternatively, a student can do something externally in order to gain a credit. Any external activities undertaken must first be approved by a teacher in order to quantify its credentials as a worthy way of gaining such a credit and only one external credit can be achieved per student a year.
Summers constitute part of the curriculum at Royal West. During these months, students are required to read a certain number of books which they will be tested on come the beginning of the following school year. Also, for grades 9, 10 and 11, they will be marked on the quality of the notes they took on their chosen books. This reading program applies to all incoming grade 7 students, as well as students beginning grades 8, 9, 10 and 11.