Laurel Heights Secondary School

Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School
Address
650 Laurelwood Drive Waterloo , Ontario , N2V 2V1
Information
School type	Public
Motto	Audere est credere (Dare to believe)
Founded	2004
School board	Waterloo Region District School Board
Principal	Gary Ayre
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,823 (2008-09)
Language	English
Colour(s)	Light Blue, Dark Blue and White
Mascot	Johnny Mac
Team name	The Highlanders
Website	http://sjam.wrdsb.on.ca/

History

Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School is a high school operated by the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It opened in September 2004 and provides both academic and vocational programs to about 1,823 students (2008-09).

The school is located on Laurelwood Drive in the rapidly growing northwest end of the city of Waterloo. It is named after Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, and is commonly referred to as SJAM ("ess-jam"). The school motto is "audere est credere," translated as "dare to believe," which is the name of the school song.SJAM is the largest high school in the City of Waterloo.

Sports

SJAM's athletic teams are called the Highlanders. Both the Junior and Senior football teams were champions in 07-08. SJAM also has a reputation for excellence in rugby, with the Bantam, Junior and Senior teams traveling internationally to compete, albeit that the SJAM junior boys rugby team were recently upsetted in the 2011 rugby season by the lowest seeded team- the Cameron Heights junior boys rugby team. DOUBLE BLUE DAY YEAHHHHHHH

Academics

Since 2008, SJAM was the number one school in Waterloo Region in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), which is administered to all Grade 10 students in the Province of Ontario.

Community Involvement

SJAM is known as a giving school in the community. Some events and charities supported by the school include

• Relay for Life
• Free 2010, for Free the Children
• The Terry Fox Run
• The Food Bank of Waterloo Region

Other accomplishments include the raising of $12,008.83 for the 2010 Haiti earthquake relief through the Red Cross.

Construction and Setbacks

Construction of the $27 million, 206,000-square-foot (19,100 m²) school was plagued by construction delays. It opened two months before construction was complete, with students initially limited to partial days of classes. The name was selected in 2003 by school board trustees. When they asked for suggestions, the most frequently submitted name was Oscar Peterson, but because he was still alive, Peterson wasn't eligible to have a school named after him(The Record, April 24, 2003).