Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary School
Encyclopedia
Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary School is a public high school in West Kelowna, British Columbia
, part of School District No. 23 (Central Okanagan). Its mascot is the bear.
The Principal is currently Mr. John Simonson.
,which stands between the school and Okanagan Lake
.
Prior to the construction of MBSS, the sole high school on the west side of the lake was George Pringle Secondary School in Westbank. As the former orchard lands of the west side were converted into subdivisions (in particular, "Lakeview Heights") subsequent to to the construction of Okanagan Lake Floating Bridge (1955) linking the west side to Kelowna by car, a growing population of students was required to travel either to Westbank, or to Kelowna Secondary School
downtown. MBSS opened in 1975 and relieved the crowding at George Pringle in particular, where from 1973 classes had been divided into two "shifts" to accommodate overflow.
MBSS was the first school in the Kelowna area to be built as something other than a standalone school. As the area between Kelowna and Westbank lacked amenities to serve the growing population, MBSS formed part of a Recreation Complex, or community centre, which included an ice rink and community hall.
The original school has been extensively renovated and expanded. In 1975, the buildings were organized around a central grass courtyard. They included a trades or "shops" building with woodwork, metalwork, automotive mechanics, and drafting rooms; a gymnasium with a mezzanine for weights and mat training; a multipurpose room with a stage which opened either to the interior of the multipurpose room or to an open-air amphitheatre, a music room adjoining the gym; and a two storey academic building containing liberal arts and humanities classrooms, library and administration on the upper floor and science laboratories on the lower.
The first principal of MBSS was Cecil "Cec" Plotnikoff. The first vice-principal was Granger Evans.
In the school's early years, MBSS as a new "single A" (denoting smaller size) school went through the normal development and "newness" of academic programs, team sports, and club and social activities, being measured or competing against larger and better established schools such as KSS with limited success. However, even in the mid to late 1970s there were notable achievements which ranked the school near the top of the local or provincial heap in several areas. These included the volleyball program, which was consistently competitive at a provincial level (under the guidance of Barry Kingsley), and the debating program (organized by Colin Castle) which produced top-level debaters from the school's beginnings.
Notable events from early days include:
- the visit (and heckling by students) of then-Liberal MP and cabinet minister Iona Campagnolo
, later Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, in 1977.
- a performance by Kelowna post-punk band Empty Set, featuring future members of Grapes of Wrath (Kevin Kane
), 54-40
(Darryl Neudorf
) and Cannon Heath Down (Jon Brotherton), in the outdoor amphitheatre in 1982.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, part of School District No. 23 (Central Okanagan). Its mascot is the bear.
The Principal is currently Mr. John Simonson.
History
The school was founded in 1975 as a five-year high school (grades 8-12 inclusive), and was originally known as Mount Boucherie Secondary School (MBSS). The school is located at the foot of the north side of Mount BoucherieMount Boucherie
Mount Boucherie is a mountain located in West Kelowna on the west shore of Okanagan Lake, British Columbia, Canada, opposite the city of Kelowna. It is the remnants of a former stratovolcano created nearly 60 million years ago. Between four and six different glacial periods over the past 50...
,which stands between the school and Okanagan Lake
Okanagan Lake
Okanagan Lake is a large, deep lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. The lake is 135 km long, between 4 and 5 km wide, and has a surface area of 351 km². The lake's maximum depth is 232 meters near Grant Island...
.
Prior to the construction of MBSS, the sole high school on the west side of the lake was George Pringle Secondary School in Westbank. As the former orchard lands of the west side were converted into subdivisions (in particular, "Lakeview Heights") subsequent to to the construction of Okanagan Lake Floating Bridge (1955) linking the west side to Kelowna by car, a growing population of students was required to travel either to Westbank, or to Kelowna Secondary School
Kelowna Secondary School
Kelowna Secondary School is a public high school in Kelowna, British Columbia within School District 23 Central Okanagan.-Sister School:* Official Website * Haruhigaoka High School...
downtown. MBSS opened in 1975 and relieved the crowding at George Pringle in particular, where from 1973 classes had been divided into two "shifts" to accommodate overflow.
MBSS was the first school in the Kelowna area to be built as something other than a standalone school. As the area between Kelowna and Westbank lacked amenities to serve the growing population, MBSS formed part of a Recreation Complex, or community centre, which included an ice rink and community hall.
The original school has been extensively renovated and expanded. In 1975, the buildings were organized around a central grass courtyard. They included a trades or "shops" building with woodwork, metalwork, automotive mechanics, and drafting rooms; a gymnasium with a mezzanine for weights and mat training; a multipurpose room with a stage which opened either to the interior of the multipurpose room or to an open-air amphitheatre, a music room adjoining the gym; and a two storey academic building containing liberal arts and humanities classrooms, library and administration on the upper floor and science laboratories on the lower.
The first principal of MBSS was Cecil "Cec" Plotnikoff. The first vice-principal was Granger Evans.
In the school's early years, MBSS as a new "single A" (denoting smaller size) school went through the normal development and "newness" of academic programs, team sports, and club and social activities, being measured or competing against larger and better established schools such as KSS with limited success. However, even in the mid to late 1970s there were notable achievements which ranked the school near the top of the local or provincial heap in several areas. These included the volleyball program, which was consistently competitive at a provincial level (under the guidance of Barry Kingsley), and the debating program (organized by Colin Castle) which produced top-level debaters from the school's beginnings.
Notable events from early days include:
- the visit (and heckling by students) of then-Liberal MP and cabinet minister Iona Campagnolo
Iona Campagnolo
Iona Campagnolo, is a Canadian politician, and was the first woman and 27th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. Prior to becoming Lieutenant Governor she was a Canadian politician and cabinet member in the Liberal government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.-Career:Born Iona Victoria Hardy...
, later Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, in 1977.
- a performance by Kelowna post-punk band Empty Set, featuring future members of Grapes of Wrath (Kevin Kane
Kevin Kane
Not to be confused with the drummer for the band Bad City.Kevin Kane is a Canadian songwriter, musician, and record producer.He was a founding member of The Grapes of Wrath in 1983, but was ejected from that band in 1992...
), 54-40
54-40
54•40 is a Canadian alternative rock group from Tsawwassen, British Columbia.The band takes their name from the slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!", coined to express the expansionist agenda of James K...
(Darryl Neudorf
Darryl Neudorf
Darryl Neudorf is a Canadian musician, record producer and audio engineer.He was the drummer for 54-40 from 1982–1986. He is best known during this time for co-writing the hit song "I Go Blind", a Canadian hit which was later covered by U.S...
) and Cannon Heath Down (Jon Brotherton), in the outdoor amphitheatre in 1982.
Notable alumni
- Matt CarterMatt Carter (Canadian football)Matt Carter is a professional Canadian football wide receiver for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League...
, CFLCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
player - Danny WatkinsDanny WatkinsWatkins invited five of his friends from the West Kelowna fire department to join him at the draft. On the morning of the draft, Watkins and his firefighter friends visited a New York City firehouse that lost several members during the September 11 attacks....
, NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player