Welcome to Harold Panabaker School!
Harold Panabaker is a middle school located in the community of Southwood. We have a regular program which draws students from Southwood, Woodlands, Canyon Meadows and Silverado for Grade 7-9. We also offer a Mandarin Bilingual Program for the south part of Calgary. Our Mandarin Program currently offers Grade 5-8 with plans to expand to Grade 9 over the next school year. We also have a Learning and Literacy Program which students gain entry into through referrals by school to area specialists. We have an ALP program which supports students on the Autism Spectrum.
Our school offers Music, Drama, Art, Foods, Construction, Leadership and a strong PE program. This year we will continue to celebrate the Asian New Year, have a sailing trip to the west coast and a number of other field opportunities. Panabaker is a great school with amazing students who we are very proud of.
School Philosophy
We believe that students come first and our purpose is to celebrate and support their learning. We do this by building a strong school community that provides a safe and secure environment in which to learn. We are a small school, which provides us the opportunity to get to know our students personally, support their educational growth, and help them work towards achieving their potential.
Our goal is to have each student feel comfortable enough to share their stories, skills and talents and become an active member of our learning community. We want all of our students to take risks with their learning and get involved in school activities, both on and off-campus. Our students regularly participate in field trips, play on athletic teams, take part in our intramural program and clubs, and engage in a variety of leadership opportunities. Parents, we hope for your help as we set expectations for our students:
- to come to school regularly, on time, and prepared to learn;
- to actively participate in their classes, always giving their best effort;
- to be conscientiously respectful of others; and,
- to contribute to the overall school community in a positive manner.
We want our parents and guardians to feel welcome in our school. We believe it is a shared and ongoing partnership between home and school that creates the greatest growth in students. We hope to see you in the building on a regular basis. Whether new to our school community or returning for another year, we trust that you will find our staff to be welcoming and committed to providing a quality educational experience for all our students.
School History
Our school is named after Mr. Harold Panabaker, who worked for the Calgary Board of Education from 1924 to 1962 – as a Teacher, Vice Principal, Principal, District Education Officer, Supervisor of Guidance, and Assistant Superintendent of Schools.
Prior to his time in Calgary, Mr. Panabaker served in World War I, present for battle at both Ypres and Vimy Ridge (where he won a medal for bravery). After the war, he was briefly a lay minister for the Methodist Church, before moving on to teach in both Muir Lake and Edmonton.
While in Calgary, Mr. Panabaker also worked with the Canadian Legion Educational Services, was president of the Calgary Family Bureau, served with the Alberta Teachers’ Association, lectured for summer sessions at the University of Alberta and the University of New York, and served on the board of Mount Royal College.
Shortly after his retirement, in 1963, Harold Panabaker Junior High School was named in his honour, with the school officially opening on Dec. 13 of that year. Mr. Panabaker passed away in 1977, but left a legacy to the school in perpetuity, which is used to provide books for award winners in June of every year.
