Louis St. Laurent School

Louis St. Laurent Catholic School is a fine arts oriented Junior and Senior High School in the Edmonton Catholic School District, located in south western Edmonton. It is also known as "Louis" or "LSL" by the population. The school averages a student body of approximately 1,000 or more pupils each year, spanning grades 7–12. As of 2009, the entire school participates in the International Baccalaureate programme. As of 2016, a few students participate in the Spanish Bilingual program.

Louis St. Laurent School
Address
11230 - 43 Avenue

Edmonton
,
Alberta
,
T6J 0X8

Canada
Information
School typeSecondary school
Motto"Through Faith We Aspire to Inspire: Body. Mind, and Soul!"
School boardEdmonton Catholic School District
School number8409
AdministratorMichelle Dupuis
Grades7–12
Enrollment1100
LanguageEnglish, French, Spanish
AreaEdmonton, Alberta, Canada
Colour(s)Green and Gold   
MascotBaron
Team nameBarons
Websitewww.louisstlaurent.ecsd.net

History

Louis St. Laurent School is a combination junior/senior high school in the Edmonton Catholic School District, created by combining the former Cartier McGee Junior High School and Louis St. Laurent High School. The junior high side of the school is still referred to as the Cartier McGee side. In 1974, a central hallway was constructed to connect the two schools on the ground floor. The connector was further modified in 1993 to include a large ancillary room, which serves as a meeting room and lunch hall, as well as facilitating other activities that require a large, open space. From 2016 to 2018, it underwent renovations that made some changes to the building. In 2016, it officially became a bilingual[1] school. The school is named for the 12th Prime Minister of Canada, Louis Stephen St. Laurent.

Events
Students watching 2008 S.M.A.S.H. Tournament

S.M.A.S.H

Louis St. Laurent is considered to be a fine-arts based Catholic School, though it is also known for its athletic teams, especially volleyball. Every year near the end of October, the school holds a volleyball tournament called "S.M.A.S.H". Teams from various places in Alberta and British Columbia participate in this three-day event. It allows the junior and senior high students to unite and cheer for their varsity men's and women's volleyball high school teams. Students are also in control of some aspects of the tournament. The Student Union hosts the tournaments. A student from the high school art program has their design become the logo for the year. To show school pride, the students of Louis St. Laurent can usually be seen wearing green and yellow and/or their halloween costume to support their team. Every student in the school watches the opening ceremony of the tournament and the first game with a LSL team playing against one of the visiting teams, before being dismissed to regular classes.

Performers
  • Drum battle - a drum battle between a few high school students
  • Smash Dancers - a group of students who perform a dance routine
  • Louis Crew - the hip hop dance crew
  • Teachers' Dance[2] - a dance performance by a few teachers and staff

Green and Gold Classic

Green and Gold Classic is the high school basketball tournament. It takes place a week after the Christmas break. Unlike S.M.A.S.H., the opening ceremony is not attended by the whole school. Only the junior high students participate in the events. Teams from all over Alberta come to participate. It features mostly provincially ranked 3A[3] teams.

Performers
  • Louis Crew - the hip hop dance crew
  • Dance - students from the dance class

Big Band Night

Louis St. Laurent hosts Big Band Night.[4] It is an event in which a few schools' Jazz band performs. It is a concert in which students can come and dance to the music performed by Louis' Instrumental Jazz Band and other bands.

Fine Arts

As a fine arts school, Louis St. Laurent offers multiple programs from grade 7-12. Most of the programs are progressive, requiring you to stay with the program as you progress. In grade 7, each student has the opportunity to select various classes that they wish to participate in. As they progress through school, they have the option to drop the class; or add the if they meet the necessary requirements. Although fine arts is the focus of the school, not all the students participate in it. Some come to the school for the athletics program or the International Baccalaureate program.

Fine Arts programs:[5]
  • Art - this program offers a chance for students to learn about art. Comes in various levels and abilities. A couple of showcases throughout the year.
  • Dance - allows students to learn about different types of dance and different styles. Has various performances throughout the year. Comes in various levels and abilities. Am Intensive program is available.
  • Drama - a class that teaches students about the world of acting. Has various performances during the year. Comes in various levels and abilities.An Intensive program is available.
  • Music - teaches students about music. Is mandatory in grade 7, and requires that students stay in the program to continue through the levels. Has various performances. Has a variety of bands.

Academics

Spanish Bilingual Program

Louis St. Laurent offers the option for some students to take some of their classes in Spanish. It is available for student in grades 7-11. They are able to learn Spanish along with their other courses. Two homeroom classes in junior high are reserved for students in the Spanish bilingual program. half of these students are in both classes and they meet for their classes. In high school, they can continue with the Spanish Bilingual Program.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

As an IB school, Louis St. Laurent offers a variety IB classes;[6] both Standard Level and Higher Level. All students in grade 7-10 are enrolled in the Middle Year Program. In grade 11, students have the option of staying in the 2-year International Baccalaureate (IB) Program Diploma Program (DP); or continuing in the standard Albertan high school classes. They can choose to either take individual classes or graduate with an IB degree in addition with an Alberta High School Degree.

The classes offered are: English (HL), French (SL), Spanish (HL/SL/ab initio), History (HL), Biology (HL), Chemistry (SL), Mathematics (SL), Visual Arts (SL), Theatre (SL), Dance (SL), and Music (SL).

English Second Language

As some students are new to Canada, Louis St. Laurent offers a program to help teach students English. These students are taught English during school time to help with their proficiency.

French Second Language

As part of the nine-year program, students at Louis St. Laurent are taught French. This is the default language taught. The majority of the student population is in the French program in junior high. In high school, they transition to the three-year program. This is taught in conjunction to the IB French course.

Athletics

Athletics is one of the focus of Louis St. Laurent. There are a variety of sport teams available for students to participate in.

Teams

The sports teams that are available for students to try out in and play for are: Badminton,Basketball, Cross-Country Running, Curling, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Track and Field, Volleyball. These teams have games, competitions, and tournaments that they compete in throughout the year.

Hockey Academy

Students have the opportunity to join the Hockey Academy. They get an in depth chance to practice their skills. They play more often and have more training. Students in the academy have an altered schedule as they have practice during out of schedule hours.

Traditions

Over the years, students have created traditions, especially among the grade 12 graduating class. Most noteworthy is the year end water fight between grade twelve students,[7] and a graduation prank.[8] After incidents of breaking into the school and one year where crickets were set loose in the school, the school staff has tried to stop these traditions. They have been unsuccessful. The Student Union is in charge of organising most of the traditional events.

Other traditions include
  • Formal Day - students in the school dress their best.
  • Marathon Dance - a school dance where students dance for a time to earn money for charity. The marathon dance was discontinued for a few years, but was reinstated in 2010.
  • Students vs Teachers Volleyball game - the varsity girls' and boys' Volleyball teams play against the teachers during lunch period, and part of the third period after the season is over; students are allowed to watch.
  • Dodgeball Tournament - High school students create teams of six to compete in a game of dodgeball during lunch. The winning team is allowed to play against the teachers in the final match. Though it is not officially an event every year, student council has consistently organized this throughout the years.

Mascot
Louis St. Laurent's Mascot

The school has two mascots, one is the Baron, and the other is a non-descript animal called "Louis" because of the name of the school. The event they never miss is the S.M.A.S.H. Tournament where most students are present. Notably, they do not appear in many school games because the audience for the games are small. Each year, auditions are held to determine the mascot but the results are kept secret to everyone except the student council, to ensure his identity is hidden.

The mascot is a grey animal with brownish red hair. It wears a green jersey, with the school team's name on it. The Baron mascot is similar to the logo, a warrior with a green helmet, green uniform, while holding a green and gold shield and a gold sword.

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Edmonton Catholic Schools". www.ecsd.net. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  2. "2018 LSL Smash Staff Dance - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  3. "Edmonton Catholic Schools". www.ecsd.net. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  4. "Edmonton Catholic Schools". www.ecsd.net. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  5. "Edmonton Catholic Schools". www.ecsd.net. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  6. "Edmonton Catholic Schools". www.ecsd.net. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  7. "LSL Water Fight June 12, 2009". YouTube. 2009-06-12. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  8. "From Louis With Love Grad Video 2007". YouTube. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  9. "Member of Parliament Profile". Webinfo.parl.gc.ca. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
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