Glengarry District High School
Glengarry District High School is an English public high school located in Alexandria, Ontario. As a member of Upper Canada District School Board, its two languages are French and English. The school was established in 1865, and accommodates students from grade seven to grade 12. Their school colors are red, white and black, and their mascot is the Glengarry Gael, a warrior with a shield and sword.
Programs
The school offers a comprehensive cooperation program, in which students may work at a local business of their choosing for a school credit. If the student is preparing for a career in a trade, the hours accumulated during the cooperative program may also be applied to their college-level requirements.
The school also offers an auto mechanics course and woodworking course, both of which are taught in their own respective shops with professional-grade equipment.
Sports
GDHS competes competitively in several sports, including volleyball, basketball, hockey, tennis, cross-country, soccer, volleyball and curling. The senior girls soccer team has enjoyed victory as champions in the Stormont, Glengarry and Dundas region in 2010 – 2011. Also, more recently, the senior boys soccer team were named both SD & G and EOSAA Champions. They also placed second at the provincial level.
Culture/Community
GDHS is known for its grand piano, kept in the music room, on which there is a bronze plaque marking the names of soldiers who once attended the school and died during service. There is a song written about it, entitled “Bronze Plaque,” composed by Brian Caddell, a former music teacher at the school. It is performed every year on November 11, by students or by himself, in honour of Remembrance Day.
Every year, the school also works with 30 Hour Famine (see Famine Events) to raise funds for hungry children in Africa. The entire 30 hours are held at the school, with various game and activities included.
Furthermore, GDHS is a strong participator in the Terry Fox Run, encouraging its students to gain sponsors and run around the school track in support for the cause.
Alumni
Grant Crack, mayor, and currently Member of Provincial Parliament. Class of 1982[1]
Rob Mclennan, poet. Class of 1988[2]
Notable
The English-French political tensions of Eastern Ontario played out in the halls of GDHS in the 1980s. This was captured in the political study of the town written by University of Toronto political scientist David Rayside in his 1991 book, "A Small Town in Modern Times."[3]