Cole Harbour District High School

History

Cole Harbour District High School was founded in 1982 by the amalgamation of Cole Harbour High School, founded in 1979, and Gordon Bell High School. The newer building for Cole Harbour High was used as the new location for Cole Harbour District High, and Gordon Bell High was repurposed as the Gordon Bell Building, a general-purpose adult education centre, which was also used as a temporary location for the students of Halifax West High School during the 2001-2002 school year, when its own building was unusable due to health concerns. As of January 2015 the Gorden Bell building has been demolished.

Cole Harbour District High is seen in the hit series The Trailer Park Boys. It is used as the location to film the scenes that take place in the fictional Dartmouth Regional Vocational School (DRVS). CHDHS's unofficial rival school is Auburn Drive High School, with whom they play a football game against every Thanksgiving weekend called the Turkey Bowl. In the 2014-2015 school year, renovations were completed on the school adding a new gym and a skilled trades centre while converting the old gymnasium into a cafetorium. The skilled trades centre also includes a yoga studio and a student council office.

Cole Harbour District High School appeared on national news in the 1990s after a number of riots broke out at the school, alleged to be race-based. The school was temporarily shut down due to these events.

The school was in the news again in March 2008, when brawls broke out in the school prompting a lockdown. Two students were arrested, another two sent to hospital. Though the cause is not completely clear, many think that it was race-based and resulted in 24 suspensions. Though the brawls only lasted one afternoon, some of the concerns that students and parents had in the 1990s were brought up again. These concerns were again brought up in April, 2009, when another brawl took place after a fire alarm was pulled. One student was sent to the hospital for treatment and several suspensions were handed out. In the spring of 2013, Cole Harbour High reappeared on national news following the death of Rehtaeh Parsons, as this was a school that Parsons had previously attended, she was enrolled at Prince Andrew High School at the time of her suicide. The incident raised questions about the school boards's lack of action against bullying.

Programs

Cole Harbour District High School offers an extensive range of courses, categorized as academic, advanced, or open (not required for entrance to university.) Some of which include: •English (10,11,12) •Math (10,11,12) •Family Studies (10) •Drama (10,11,12) •Science (10) •Oceans (11) • Construction Technology (10) •Multi Media (12) •Canadian History

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme has been offered at Cole Harbour District High School since the 2007–2008 school year (with the Diploma Prep program offered starting in 2006–2007), with its first year of graduates in 2009. Cole Harbour District High School is one of fifteen International Baccalaureate Organization accredited schools in Nova Scotia.

Music

Cole Harbour District High School offers several music courses: Music Band 10, 11, 12, and Music Vocal 10, 11, 12. These programs are currently taught by Tina Gallant.

Physical education

As of the 2008–2009 school year, graduates will be required to have at least one Phys. Ed. credit, from either Physical Education 10, 11, 12, Leadership or Physically Active Living. Previously, students were required to take Career and Life Management (CLM) 11 and Physically Active Lifestyles (PAL) 11, (both 1/2 credits), but these courses were eliminated in favor of Physically Active Living 11 (1 full credit). The French equivalent of the CLM/PAL combination (Gestion de carrière et vie/Style de vie actif) is still offered. Current teachers in the physical education department include Reg Bezanson (PE 10–12), Craig Campbell (Leadership & PLV), Patrick Hatfield (PE 10 & PLV) and David Denike (French PAL/CALM). The school also competes as a Division 1 high school in the metro high school athletic association a division of the Nova Scotia School Athletic Association.

French immersion

Students can choose to study in either the English or French language. Nova Scotia requires a minimum of nine French credits to receive the French certificate, including a French Language Arts course for each grade level. Students can currently take a number of different French courses, including Biologie, Histoire canadienne, and Production de film digital et vidéo.

Extracurricular activities

Cole Harbour District High School has many different extracurricular activities for students to participate in. These include, but are not limited to, a number of competitive sports teams.

Musical

The school's musical has become an annual tradition at the school, and has also gained a reputation for being an outstanding annual production. The annual musical allows students to get a feel for many aspects of stage performing, including acting, singing, dancing, stage management, and set and costume design. Since there was no theatre at the school, they performed at the Alderney Landing Theatre, in downtown Dartmouth. In 2016 the school put on their first in house musical in the brand new cafetorium with the show Annie.

The school music teacher, Tina Gallant, also organizes other musical opportunities at different points of the year, including the Spring and Winter concerts. Both offer a chance for vocal music and other interested students a chance to perform.

The cast, stage managers, and pit band consist of students from all grades in the high school, commonly assisted by graduated high school students in theatre studies.

CHDHS is known for putting on extraordinary shows that go beyond the expectations of a high school musical.

Youth health centre

The student health centre, known as the Cavway, is a place for students to meet with a nurse, and get involved in school activities. The Cavway undertakes a number of projects throughout the year, including a gay-straight alliance, raising money for Christmas Daddies (a local children's charity), tobacco-awareness, and peer-education. The Cavway is designed to be a safe, healthy place for studentswith concerns or questions about their physical and mental health.

Notable alumni