High school in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
Steveston-London Secondary School (SLSS) is a public high school in Richmond, British Columbia for pupils grades 8-12. Steveston-London Secondary follows the semester course system.
History
Before the establishment of Steveston-London Secondary School in 2007, Steveston Secondary School and Charles E. London Secondary School were two separate schools located 400 metres apart on either side of a large field [2]
Steveston Secondary School
The school opened in 1956 after voters in Richmond approved plans to construct additional schools in the fast-growing community and it was named after the nearby neighbourhood of Steveston.[3] The school plans included 16 classrooms, industrial arts areas, and home economics units, as well as a gymnasium.[4] Because of increases in enrollment,[5] the school board authorized an addition of 10 classrooms rooms in December 1957.[6] The first class of students graduated in 1958.[7]
After starting as a Junior Secondary, then in 1959 becoming a combined Junior-Senior Secondary, in 1965 the school became a Senior Secondary School serving only grades 11 and 12. In 1996 it was expanded again to serve all grades 8 through 12 after Richmond's junior and senior schools were amalgamated. [8]
In need of repairs, a decision was made in 2005 to close the school, which closed in 2007.[9] The property was sold to Polygon Homes Ltd. for $41 million [10][11] and the building was demolished over the course of mid-2015 to summer 2016.[12] [13]
Charles E. London Secondary School
Charles E. London Junior Secondary School, officially opened in 1975 serving grades 8 through 10, and was named after an early Richmond settler named Charles London[14][15]
A fire in 1991 caused extensive damage to administrative and counseling offices, causing smoke damage to a staff room. Damages amounted to &750,000,[16] and Richmond School District 38 authorized 7000 square metres of demolition and renovation, as well as 3200 square metres of new construction and about 0.67 hectares of asphalt paving and landscaping.[17] Guardians of a former student were sued for almost $1 million for damages related to the a fire.[18]
One innovative program at Charles E. London was the aviation career preparation program, a partnership with Canadian Pacific Airlines that prepared students to enter flight school or the BCIT aircraft maintenance engineering program.[19]
Formation of Steveston-London Secondary School
Due to declining enrollments, the Steveston Secondary and Charles E.London Secondary were merged in 2007 with a 19 million dollar renovation from the Government of British Columbia. It occupies the site of the former Charles E. London Secondary School.[20][21]
The Vancouver Sun reported,
The name "Steveston-London Secondary School" was chosen on June 14, 2006 as decided in a student vote from both schools.[22][23][24]
Steveston secondary had a 50-year history as one of Richmond's first two secondary schools when it was announced in 2004 that it would merge with nearby London secondary. The schools were only about 400 metres apart and shared the same playing field. Steveston's building was old and badly in need of repairs, while London was newer and slated for a big addition. Both schools had declining enrolment, so trustees decided a merger was in order.
