Eric Hamber Secondary School

Eric Hamber Secondary School

"Respice, Aspice, Prospice"
Reflect on the Past, Consider the Present, Provide for the Future
Address
5025 Willow Street
Vancouver, British Columbia, V5Z 3S1
Canada
Information
School type Secondary school
Founded 1962 (1962)
School board School District 39 Vancouver
Superintendent Mr. Scott Robinson
Area trustee Ms. Janet Fraser
School number 03939022
Principal Mr. Alex Grant
Grades 8-12
Enrollment 1554[1] (2015/16)
Language English
Area South Cambie
Colour(s) Maroon & Light Blue         
Mascot Griffin
Team name Hamber Griffins
Public transit access 15, 17, 25, 33, 41/43, Canada Line
Website go.vsb.bc.ca/schools/hamber/Pages/default.aspx
Last updated: October 2, 2015

Eric Hamber Secondary School is a public secondary school located in the South Cambie neighbourhood between Van Dusen Gardens and Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[2] Eric Hamber is a comprehensive secondary school with approximately 1500 students. The school offers an excellent academic program and many elective courses are offered in art, band, strings, choir, drama, business education, computers, fashion design, graphic arts, athletics, and languages.[3] Student accomplishments are also significant. Each year, approximately 70% of the senior class graduates with honours standing.[4] The school is named after Eric Hamber, former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. The school colours, maroon and light blue, were the colours used by Eric Hamber's race horses.[5]

Eric Hamber Secondary School.

Feeder schools

The elementary schools in Eric Hamber's catchment area include:[6]

Programs

Gifted Programs

For Grades 8 to 12, Hamber offers two options for students: the Challenge Program[7] for acceleration and enrichment and the Studio Program[8] (formerly Academy) for innovative thinking.

The Challenge Program, available in English, Social Studies, Science and/or Math, presents highly-able students with a challenging Grade 8-12 program that encompasses both acceleration and enrichment. Students in the program are voracious learners who will complete three years of study in Grades 8 and 9, often moving above and beyond the traditional curriculum. Learners in Grades 10-12 will continue to expand their learning through enriched and advanced placement courses as well as through guided independent or concurrent post-secondary studies. This program will appeal to students of high ability who are extremely motivated to learn and respond well to a rapid pace of instruction. Generally, an “A” or “B” average in English and Social Studies is expected.

The Studio is a place where students who crave opportunities for empowerment, autonomy, flexibility and choice are given the liberty to engage in their zeal for learning. Teachers function as mentors to learning as students explore and develop skills in creativity and critical thinking and prepare themselves for success in a rapidly evolving global environment. Students in this program are accepted into accelerated English and Social Studies courses as well as several elective courses exclusive to accepted students. The program is aimed at students with a desire to shape the curriculum to suit their interests and to accommodate their learning styles.

Mandarin Bilingual Program

Eric Hamber offers a Mandarin Accelerated program for Grade 8 and 9 students who have completed the Mandarin Bilingual program at Jamieson Elementary School.

Fashion Design and Technology

Eric Hamber has the largest high school fashion design program in western Canada. The program was started in 1992 by Nina Ho. Many graduates from Eric Hamber Secondary’s fashion design program complete post secondary fashion programs in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia and work in the fashion design field locally and abroad with companies such as Lululemon, Aritzia and Mac and Jac. Eric Hamber students have a strong history of winning awards locally, provincially, and nationally at the Skills Canada Competition. An annual show is presented every year to showcase the students' work.

Dragon Boat Team

Eric Hamber has a very strong dragon boat team. They have won numerous local and national dragon boat competitions, and regularly represent Canada at the World Dragon Boat Championships.

Eric Hamber's Run for the Sun

On May 27, 2011, Eric Hamber held an event called "Run for the Sun" to raise money to install 4 solar panels on the school's roof. The solar panels are being used to heat the water in the school year round. A total of 653 students from 26 classes participated in the event by running or walking 5 kilometres. The event raised a total of $8,495.00 and a successful acceptance of a Vancouver Foundation Generation Green award of $12,500 raised a total of $21,000.[9]

Clubs

Clubs are a staple of the Hamber community. Each year a clubs day exhibition is hosted, encouraging students to get involved. The official clubs for the 2014/15 school year are as follows: Anime, Big Two Strategy, Business, Chess, Chinese Culture, Christian Fellowship, Coffeehouse, Compassionate Leadership, Competitive Programming, ConnAction: connect and take action, Craft, Dance Crew, Debate, Diversity, Environmental, Eternal Dragon, Food For Humanity, Garden, Gourmet, Griffin B-Boy and Freestyle Crew, Griffins' Nest Newspaper, Hamber Reads, Healing Harmonies, H.O.S.T., Japanese Culture, Junior VEX-IQ Robotics, Kids Help Phone, Korean Culture, K-Pop Dance, Library Monitors, Lighting Crew, Math, Math Challengers, Mental Health Awareness, Photo, Physics, Project CHAIRity, Queer Straight Alliance, Reach for the Top, Reaching out Worldwide, Science Challengers, Seams of Love, Senior VEX Robotics, Service, Ski/Snowboard, Smarticle Particle, Social Justice, Sound Crew, Student Council, Technical Service, Web Team[10]

Football

In 2010, under the direction of PE Teacher Bobby Gibson, Eric Hamber became the only public school in Vancouver to have an American Football program. In the 2010 season, the Eric Hamber Griffins competed in the Junior Varsity AA league only. In the 2011 season, the Griffins competed with teams in both the Junior Varsity AA and Varsity Tier II leagues. In 2012, both the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams competed in the AA league. That year, the Junior Varsity team made the playoffs, becoming the first Griffins Football team to do so, losing in the first round. In 2013, the Griffins Junior Varsity team competed in an amalgamated AA/AAA league while the Varsity team was relegated at the school's request to the Tier II development league. The Junior Varsity team failed to make the playoffs while the Varsity team was defeated in the first round of the Tier II championship.

Beginning in 2014, Eric Hamber stopped fielding both a Junior Varsity and Varsity team, opting to join the teams and compete with a roster consisting of grade 9 to 12 players in the Tier II development League. In the 2014 season, the Griffins made it to the final of the Tier II Provincial Championship. In 2015, the Griffins continued to field only one team, with that team losing in the semi-finals of the provincial tournament.

Starting in 2012, Eric Hamber began a Grade 8 football program in the spring. The team does not play in the formal Grade 8 fall league but organizing exhibition games with other schools during the spring sports season. The program also organizes a flag football program in the spring for feeder elementary schools to promote a culture of football amongst students who are likely to eventually attend to Eric Hamber.

Eric Hamber Griffins Football runs with relative independence from the athletics department of the school due to its unique province-wide league and player-based funding. Player fees range from $250-300 based on the season and funding is available for those who can't afford the costs.

In media

Eric Hamber has a history in television and film; one of the parking lots was extensively used in the early days of television series 21 Jump Street, including a memorable confrontation involving Johnny Depp.[11] It was later used as the high school in the 2007 film Juno.[12] Eric Hamber was used for the filming of TV series iZombie in November 2015.

Canada Sings

In 2011, several of Eric Hamber's staff were part of a glee club called "The Edutones" on the show Canada Sings. They defeated the opposing The Distillery Restaurants Corporation's "Run DRC" glee club and won $10,000 for the BC Children's Hospital Foundation. They appeared on episode 6 of season 1 which aired on September 8, 2011.[13][14]

Notable alumni

External links

References

Coordinates: 49°14′24″N 123°07′30″W / 49.240°N 123.125°W / 49.240; -123.125

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