Sep 08
Welcome & Welcome Back!

​The 2023/24 school year is almost in full swing as I write this post.  We had an incredible turnout for our Meet the Teacher event last night, and we continue to be grateful to be able to gather in person and share this great school with our larger community.

On behalf of the entire staff of Centennial High School, I would like to extend a huge welcome to all students and families new to us.  Many of you have moved here from across Canada and the world, and we will do everything we can to help your transition to high school life at Centennial go smoothly.

Welcome back to all Coyotes returning in Grade 11 or 12 as well!  As you know, and as all students need to know, the high school experience will be what you make of it.  Get involved.  Be kind.  Ask for help.  Work hard.  And enjoy being a Coyote.

Centennial is a wonderful school community, and that is because of the way our students, families, and staff members come together in partnership, as we endeavour​ to make the world a better place.  

Thank you in advance for a fantastic school year.

Sincerely,

Joe Sturgeon


Jun 13
Where Does the Time Go?

​Another school year is nearly concluded, with students writing their Final Exams before heading off to a well-earned summer.  What a year it has been at Centennial High School - the first year in far too many that was essentially without restrictions and interruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

That is not to say that the impact of the pandemic is null.  Students and staff have worked hard this year to counteract the learning gaps and social-emotional impacts created by the events of the past few years.  We have returned to 'normalcy', and with that we have faced renewed and novel pressures, stress, and angst.  And, we have seen students return to great success, as their generation and our world sees a renewal of hope.

Our Class of 2023 enjoyed a fabulous celebration of their accomplishments in May, and all of our much-loved traditions - from the arts to clubs and athletics, international travel and everything in between - resumed this school year.  With everything back in full swing, it was an exhausting year for students, staff, and the greater school community.  This comes as no surprise.  This school year we experienced an unprecedented transition back to a more typical high school life after the equally unprecedented upheaval that preceded it.

I for one am excited to see what the 2023-2024 school year brings.  It will be a wonderful year of continued growth and renewed energy.  We will meet our new Grade 10 students (The Class of 2026!) on Thursday, August 31, as they will attend a full day of welcomes and orientation the way only Link Crew can do!  On that same day our Grades 11 and 12 students will return to us in the afternoon, as we get re-acquainted and ready for another marvelous year as Coyotes.

As is always the case, it is bittersweet to see our graduating students depart.  I would like to commend and applaud our Class of 2023, and to wish them the very best in what life has to offer.  Come back and visit.  You are welcome here.  Once a Coyote, always a Coyote.

I would also like, as always, to wish everyone in our Centennial High School community a wonderful summer of rest and fun.​

Sincerely,

Joe Sturgeon, Principal


Jun 27
So Much to Celebrate

As our school year winds down, with our final Diploma Exams taking place today (June 27) and tomorrow, there is a sense of great pride throughout our school community.  And fatigue too.  Staff, students - and I trust our entire community of parents, guardians, families, and other stakeholders - are exhausted.  However, we are exhausted for all the right reasons.  We have endured, and more importantly we have thrived, through yet another school year of uncertainty.

Our Class of 2022 was able to celebrate with a formal Graduation Ceremony and Banquet this spring.  Our performing artists were able to return to the stage, while our student athletes were once again able to compete as Coyotes.  Classes were as stable and 'normal' as they have been since the 2018/19 school year, and at Centennial High School students were able to engage in a wide array of learning both inside and beyond the classroom.

On June 21, we celebrated our Grade 12 Indigenous students with a circle activity, potluck luncheon, and art walk - culminating in the unveiling of an awe-inspiring mural (created by Grade 10 student Aliya B.) that represents our school's continued dedication to Truth and Reconciliation.  You will be able to see this beautiful mural in the fall, as we once again welcome community members into our school for Meet the Teacher Night, athletics, performances, and other events.

Two days from now (on June 29) we will honour numerous students at our Academic Awards Assemblies, celebrating the outstanding scholastic and citizenship accomplishments of numerous Centennial High School students.  Congratulations to all of our award winners!

We are excited to meet our incoming Grade 10 students - The Class of 2025(!) - in September, and to welcome back the rest of our student body.  Grade 10 students will attend all day on September 1, beginning with our Link Crew Orientation in the morning.  Grades 11 and 12 students will attend during the afternoon only on September 1.​

With that, I would like to wish my very best to our Class of 2022 as you head off into the next phase of your journeys.  I would also like to wish everyone in our Centennial High School community a wonderful summer of rest and fun.

Sincerely,

Joe Sturgeon, Principal


Jan 12
A New Year

​As 2022 begins and the first semester comes to a close, we continue to face the challenges and upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  However, students and staff continue to collectively forge ahead.  As a school, we are doing all we can to ensure student learning prevails, while also providing the additional experiences that help enrich high school life.

Our students inspire us each and every day.  Their patience and resilience is on daily display.  They are working hard to reduce the learning gaps that have naturally occurred over the past two years.  Staff are working tirelessly, doing everything they can to support their students during uncertain times.  I applaud them all - students and staff alike.  It is humbling to see how the Centennial High School community continues to come together and thrive, especially in the face of this ongoing health crisis.  

Semester One has brought with it many things to celebrate, including a wonderful music concert, the resumption of high school athletics, and meaningful curricular and extracurricular activities for students throughout our school.  

Our last day of classes for Semester One is January 19, followed by a few days of Grade 10 & 11 zero jeopardy Final Exams.  Let us hope that when Semester Two begins (Tuesday, February 1) we are in a place where we see some increased stability, and maybe even a sense of pending relief from the pandemic, on the horizon.  In the meantime, I wish you and yours good health.

Sincerely,
Joe Sturgeon
Principal



Oct 28
In Full Swing

​As November nears and we are essentially at the half way mark of the first semester, the staff of Centennial High School would like to express our gratitude to our students and their families.  We continue to work through exceptional complexities as a school community, but we are doing well.

This fall has seen a resumption of athletics, performing arts, off-site activities, and a variety of extracurricular clubs and opportunities at Centennial.  We encourage all students to get involved in ways that are comfortable and enriching to them.  As the pandemic (hopefully!) begins to wane, we look forward to more opportunities to enage our students and to welcome the school community into our building.  We have much to be proud of, and we want to share.

Our motto at Centennial High School is 'Making the World a Better Place'.  We are doing our best to live this motto, each day for and with each and every student.  Our staff have done significant work in our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, as well as in continuing to develop strategies to enhance well-being for student learning.  

Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue in our collective goal of making the high school experience as fruitful as possible for each of our 1300+ students.

Sincerely,

Joe Sturgeon, Principal

Jun 30
Enjoy A Much Deserved Summer!

Dear Centennial High School Community,

As we begin what we hope is a summer of great adventure and joy for all, we want to thank each and every one of our students and families for what ended up being an exceptional school year.  This will be a year that we will never forget, and many of those memories will involve the frustration, anguish, uncertainty, and heartache that we have all experienced since the beginning of this pandemic.

However, the memory that I will cherish most was that of watching over 400 members of our Class of 2021 walk across the stage two days ago.  Each of our ten Graduation Ceremonies were incredible experiences, with proud loved ones braving the heat to honour our Class of 2021.  We want to express one last congratulations to this group of students.  What you have accomplished through unprecedented adversity is no small feat.  Wherever you go, as long as you live, you will be The Class of 2021 – bonded forever with peers across the world by the adversity you have all shared and overcome.

We also want to congratulate all of our Award Winners in Grades 10, 11, and 12, who have continued their excellence in academics and citizenship despite the many roadblocks and detours that COVID-19 has caused.  We are proud of you.​

To all of our students and families, we wish you a safe summer of fun and relaxation.  Please take care of yourselves and one another, and for those students we will see in the coming year – we can't wait to see you back in September.  Grade 10 students begin school on September 1, 2021, with all Grades (10 – 12) attending on September 2 and moving forward.  See you then!

 

Sincerely,

Joe Sturgeon

Principal

Centennial High School  


Jun 21
National Indigenous Peoples Day: Our Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation

June 21, 2021 

Dear Centennial High School Community, 

In keeping with our commitment to partner with you on matters of importance, I am writing to advise you of an important ongoing discussion that we have been having at Centennial High School.  The recent news of the tragic discovery of the burial site at The Kamloops Residential School, and similar discoveries since, reminds us that our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation must remain at the forefront of our work in public education.  Like all schools in the Calgary Board of Education and across our nation, our flag was flown at half-mast in memory of the lives lost.  Schools are not stopping there.  We believe strongly that we must continue to take action, committing ourselves and our school to thoughtful acts of Reconciliation on an ongoing basis. 

As an individual school, and as a member of the larger Calgary Board of Education community, we are committed to fostering a safe, caring, and welcoming learning environment for all students.  We are also committed to acknowledging and supporting the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, as we support the creation of a better Canada for us all. 

In recognition of National Indigenous Peoples Day and in alignment with the CBE Education Plan, Centennial High School acknowledges and supports the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action, and makes the following commitment to action for the 2021-2022 school year: 

  1. We will know and welcome our students to the start of a new school year through a personalized card delivered over the summer
  2. We will meet with each First Nations, Metis and Inuit student monthly to learn their stories and build relationship using the Four Great Questions as a foundation
  3. We will meet the families of our Indigenous students over a gathering and meal in October
  4. We will seek opportunities throughout the year to include First Nations, Metis and Inuit voice and perspective in our sources, materials, readings

In making our commitment, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action # 63 (iii) offered inspiration.  

 
Sincerely,
 
Joe Sturgeon
Principal
Centennial High School                        ​


Sep 23
Welcome to Centennial 2020-2021

Welcome!  If you are new family to the Centennial High School community or a returning family, we want your school experience at our school to exceed your expectations.  We know that you will find your classroom experiences to be challenging and fun. In addition to academics we offer a wide range of complimentary programs, clubs and activities. Getting involved in the life of the school will make your years here satisfying and enjoyable. If students engage in all we have to offer, they will build the memories, skills and attributes for success today and into the future. 

 The information presented on our website is designed to help students and parents become familiar with daily routines and procedures of our school.  There is a lot of information regarding events, clubs, how to access help, and contact information.  The website is an important tool that can help you succeed as a student. Use it often to keep in the know and to communicate with staff.


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