john g. diefenbaker HIGH SCHOOL

YVC in schools PROFILE

John G. Diefenbaker High School was built in 1971 in NW Calgary and is situated on 14.64 acres. The building is unconventional in its design and includes individual classrooms, large open areas, small conference rooms, and a variety of specialized program offerings to take full advantage of the unique spaces available. The original part of the building opened in 1971. In 1990, an addition was made on the southeast corner to add a second gymnasium, science and math classrooms, and the Mall area. A space enclosed under the gymnasium in 1990 allowed for relocation of the communications technology room. The school has 43 classrooms, 2 gymnasiums, 3 computer labs, and many independent computer workstations for student use, all of which are networked through the central hub. The school also has a music room, a newly developed drama facility, home economics, industrial arts labs, and a library. John G. Diefenbaker is the International Baccalaureate (IB) School for Area 2, and it has a very nicely sculpted sports program.

The current student enrollment is around 1352 students, even though the school is designed for around 700! You can imagine the crowds that fill the hallways during class change! Fortunately, because of this large population and the IB program, John G. Diefenbaker also has a large number of volunteers. During the 2004-2005 school year, the students of John G. Diefenbaker completed approximately 1800 volunteer hours, with many of the hours being completed by non-IB students! At the start of the 2005-2006 school year, the Youth Volunteer Corps in Schools program had more than 100 members, and all of them were actively involved in a number of the group’s events.

In 2006-2007, we undertook a large number of projects, which included: Community toy and food drive, silent auction, student famine, a number of awareness weeks (human, landmine, animal, environment, etc.), community carnival, Valentine’s Day baking, recycling program, Wal-Mart Water Week, the ongoing Salvation Army program, etc. And many smaller projects popped up every week!

The events are organized by a core group of very dedicated, hard-working students, each with their own events to coordinate. These students gain valuable leadership skills, and pass on their knowledge to the lower grades. This sharing of knowledge allows for a smooth transition from year to year. Students graduate and new students are able to take their place.

Each event provides students at John G. Diefenbaker with an opportunity to get involved and make a difference in their school and in their community. The students are able to gain valuable organization and time-management skills, which will help them for the rest of their lives. The YVC program at John G. Diefenbaker lets students set their goals high, and then provides them with the support to reach them.

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