Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI) is a public high school in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, operated by Lethbridge School District No. 51 that serves grades nine through twelve. LCI was the first school in Lethbridge designated only for secondary students. It opened at its current location in 1950, but was founded in a smaller, adjacent building in 1928. Since its 1950 opening, several additions and layout changes have been made at the school. In August 2010, Chinook High School opened in West Lethbridge with over 700 students enrolled. Those that entered grade 11 in 2009 at LCI were permitted to complete their graduating year at LCI, but west Lethbridge students are now encouraged to attend the new high school, which was being built in conjunction with a western campus of Catholic Central High School, recreational facilities, and a public library.
As a result of Chinook's opening, LCI's enrollment decreased by a substantial 35% for the 2010–2011 school year and a further 11% to only 870 in 2011-2012; less than both Chinook and north Lethbridge's Winston Churchill High.
A relatively extensive academic program is offered, including automotives, construction and communication technology, fashion studies, and four language studies programs. An Advanced Placement Program is offered in several key subject areas, including mathematics, language arts, and the sciences. Respected instrumental music, choir, and dance programs have helped LCI become well known in Southern Alberta for offering balanced opportunities to students in both academics and extracurricular activities. Athletic teams from LCI carry the names Rams, Clippers, Colts, and Schooners, although the latter two have fallen into disuse.
History
Early years
In the early 1900s, two schools near downtown Lethbridge were named with reference to their location. Built in 1891, fifteen years prior to the incorporation of the City of Lethbridge, the first was Central School. The small school was the only one that served secondary students in the Lethbridge area. In 1909, Central School closed and secondary education classes moved into a vacated building on 5 Avenue. The school became too crowded in the mid-1920s, and a struggle began between the school board and the city to have a new school constructed. until the opening of Kenyon Field (now Lethbridge County Airport) south of Six-Mile Coulee in the summer of 1939. Construction of the school at the site finished in October 1928, but a fire in the spring of 1929 ravaged the new building. Classes had to be moved to other local schools until later that year. In the latter part of 1950, the junior high adopted its new name, Hamilton Junior High School (named after a former teacher, principal, and superintendent, William Alfred Hamilton). A section of Hamilton's old building was used to house Allan Watson High School for a time That high school was not operated by District 51. At that time the building was being renovated to house the headquarters of Lethbridge School District 51. Allan Watson was later replaced by Victoria Park High School operated by the District.
A new grade
In accordance with a grade reconfiguration in many public schools across Alberta, Grade 9 students began attending the school in the fall of 2003. Teachers, textbooks, and other classroom materials were brought in from local middle schools. The changes introduced a new term to the area: "middle school". With the middle school enrolling students for grades 6–8, the term "high school" was redefined to include grades 9–12. The changes created minor inconveniences for staff and other areas of the school. At LCI, it brought more students into a building already near capacity.
Community members believed the restructuring by the government was targeted specifically at the City of Lethbridge, a move made to force the province to build an additional Lethbridge high school. Such a project had been anticipated for at least a decade. As expected, the announcement for the new school came in 2005. Enrollment at LCI exceeded 1,600 students. In an effort to reduce numbers, students living on the City's north side who attend LCI must be enrolled in a course not offered at Winston Churchill High School.
LCI's enrollment peaked in 2005. The population of the city has steadily increased. The graduating class of 2007 was the first to complete all four years of learning at the school since its founding. The convocation in May, with the day's ceremonies at the ENMAX Centre, was centred around the a theme noting the historical fact that it was the first class to spend all four years of their secondary education at LCl.
December 2007 shooting scare
On December 13, 2007, a note was found handwritten in a washroom stall.
Its exact words were undisclosed, but school officials described it as "a student's intention to shoot others, as well as possibly taking their own life, on December 20." A district official responded, "at this point in time we're not planning to install metal detectors. We feel that we're taking the precautions by having a police presence." Extra staff members and local police officers patrolled the school's hallways for the week of December 17–21. Only days earlier, the words "December 18, 2007 Massacre" were found in a washroom at Paul Kane High School in St. Albert, Alberta. Officials at that school said "extraordinary security measures" were to be taken, but it was believed to be a hoax. It is unknown if the LCI incident was simply a copycat of the Paul Kane incident, but school officials in both cities requested that the perpetrators step forward; neither has done so. Both schools also made counseling staff available for any students who felt apprehensive about their safety. Though attendance was down significantly at Paul Kane on December 18 and only 300 students attended LCI on December 20, regular classes proceeded without incident.
On December 20, a similar note was found in a bathroom at W. R. Myers High School in nearby Taber, Alberta, indicating a student's intent to do harm on December 21. With a student attendance of roughly 20%, classes proceeded without incident. In 1999, a student opened fire at W. R. Myers, killing one student and seriously wounding another. In 2000, LCI was locked down after two youths were arrested and two firearms were seized.
Principal bullying accusations
In the month of December, 2019, current and/or former teachers launch bullying accusations to current principal, Wayne Pallett. Teachers reported that Pallett was abusive. One unidentified teacher states "I've never had anybody look as if they're going to hit me because they look so angry, and red-faced and mouth contorted."
Academics
From Monday to Thursday, the school operates from 7:55 in the morning to 2:45 in the afternoon with 77 minute classes. Grade ten, eleven and twelve students have four different modules with one doubled on each day of the week (e.g. module 3 is doubled on Wednesday). On Fridays, classes begin slightly later, running from 7:55 to 12:38 with four 62 minute classes and no lunch period. From Monday to Thursday, the lunch period begins at 11:49. The peculiar times are partly due to the district's school busses, which are also needed for elementary and middle schools which have later start and end times.
In preparation for Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) at the end of the year, Each credit signifies approximately 125 hours of classroom instruction. Of their final sixteen high school modules (4 in grade eleven and 4 in grade twelve), students are permitted to take three spare modules with a general restriction of one per year in grade eleven and one per semester in grade twelve. Entry into the National Honor Society is also offered to them, requiring students to complete a minimum of 10 hours community service over the course of the year. The Society participates in directing annual functions such as "Parent-Teacher Evening". In the community, the group assists at the Chinook Regional Hospital and at Salvation Army functions, such as bell ringing.
LCI students are encouraged to remain within the city for their post-secondary students and attend the University of Lethbridge by representatives from that school. Accordingly, it is easier for local students to be rewarded with scholarships, and several are only available for students who attended high school in Southern Alberta. A high number of students also go on to attend the Universities of Calgary and Alberta, as well as Lethbridge College. In a 2009 Fraser Institute report, which was conducted from the previous school year, LCI was ranked 162nd among Alberta high schools, down significantly from a rank of 102nd in the previous 5 years. More promising is the fact that the number of students dropping out of school before completion has steadily decreased, on average, provincewide. While data is not available for individual institutions, the number of students completing school has also increased districtwide.
Advisor Program
Similar to a long-running program in place at Winston Churchill High School, an advisor program was introduced in the fall of 2006. The program consists of an 8-minute session between the first two periods during which students of all grades meet with a teacher to whom they were randomly assigned at the beginning of the year. Some graduates of the AP program have stated that the material learned was similar to first-year university courses. The program consists of advanced courses in mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry, English, and social studies.
|-
! Year
! Sport
! Division
|-
|2001/02
|Golf
|3A/4A Boys Team
|-
|rowspan=2|2003/04
|rowspan=2| Golf
| Boys Individual
|-
| Girls Individual
|-
| 2004/05
| Golf
| 3A/4A Boys Team
|-
|2005/06
|Wrestling<br/>
|Boys 90 and 108 kg
|-
|rowspan=5|2006/07
|rowspan=4|Wrestling<br />
| Boys 4A Team
|-
| Girls 4A Team
|-
| Boys 50, 59 and 72 kg
|-
| Girls 57 kg
|-
|Rugby
|Tier I Girls
|-
|rowspan=6|2007/08
|Volleyball
|4A Boys
|-
|rowspan=4|Wrestling<br />
| Boys 4A Team
|-
| Girls 4A Team
|-
| Boys 90 and 120 kg
|-
| Girls 57 kg
|-
|Rugby
|Tier I Girls
|-
|rowspan=2|2008/09
|rowspan=2|Wrestling<br />
| Boys 4A Team
|-
| Girls 4A Team
|-
|rowspan=2|2009/10
|Wrestling<br />
| Boys 120 kg
|-
|Wrestling<br />
| Boys 62 and 120 kg
|-
|rowspan=2|2012/13
|Rugby
|Tier I Boys
|}
The main gymnasium has a large "Wall of Champions" along the east and south wall, timelining provincial athletic victories since the move to the new building. Several hallways are lined with framed photographs of past LCI athletic teams, choirs, and councils that date back to the early 1980s. The "L.C.I. Wall of Distinction" profiles dozens of notable graduates. Two or three members are inducted each year in a prominent school assembly, usually with the inductees, as well as the city's mayor, in attendance.
Athletics
Football
LCI has an active Canadian football program that regularly produces future Canadian Football League as well as Division I players in the United States. The latest is Jon Gott, a 2004 graduate who went on to Boise State University. In 2008, the LCI football team did an exchange with Crestwood High School in Peterborough, Ontario.
Other sports
With several members winning various awards at provincial competitions, the 2006–07 year was promising for the LCI wrestling team.
Elsewhere, a former LCI student and rugby union player, Ashley Patzer, was named CIS player of the year for 2006. She was also later named the University of Lethbridge Female Athlete of the Year. As of 2007, track and field, baseball, basketball, badminton, curling, golf, softball, volleyball, and girls slowpitch are also played at LCI. Past trips include visits to Japan, New York City and Hawaii. As they do every few years, the choir traveled overseas in April 2007, touring and performing in Western Europe. The 08-09 year was a special one, with the group traveling to New York City where they performed in the historic Carnegie Hall, singing repertoire from Mozart's Coronation Mass, as well as traveling to Italy to perform at St. Peter's Basilica under the direction of famed choral composer Z. Randall Stroope. The group has also been successful at various local, provincial, and national music festivals.
- The Jazz Choir, also led by Hudson, consists of 12 students, all of whom are members of the Chamber Choir. They are an a cappella group. Their songs range from ballads to almost rock-style jazz. The choir performs at the aforementioned Christmas and spring concerts as well as various community events throughout the year and occasionally with local artists.
- The LCI Singers consist of girls from grades 9–12, led by Karen Hudson. They perform primarily at school functions such as Remembrance Day and charity venues such as Compassion Canada to help raise money to aid new mothers in Africa. In May 2005, the group traveled to Edmonton and performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. LCI Singers usually take one major trip each year, using several concerts throughout the school year as fundraisers. In April 2007 they traveled to England and Wales on a performing tour. In May 2008 they placed first in the Provincial competition for their class. In 2017, the group received second place at the National Music Festival. In April 2009, the LCI Singers went on their second European tour to Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic.
Clubs
The school has provisions for over 30 clubs. The most prominent of those that are active are 'Students Alive', 'Peer Support', the ‘Gay Straight Alliance’, and 'Travel Club'; the latter of which will travel to Italy in 2019. Also notable is a group called the Association to Kill Apathy (AKA), which does community as well as environmental work. On Remembrance Day of 2006, the group dedicated "peace poles", in association with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, garnering local media attention.
The Collegian Column is a weekly school bulletin produced by faculty, which appeals primarily to older students interested in scholarship information. an institution which has also been informally twinned with LCI in a program implemented by Alberta Education. LCI students made the trip to Japan in early July 2007. In the 2006/07 year, the school also took part in an exchange program with a high school in Spain; several Spanish students arrived in the fall of 2006, and several LCI students departed for Spain in the spring of 2007.
The LCI dance program is rapidly expanding and features numerous styles, including jazz, modern, and hip hop. All programs are under the direction of Georden Olsen.
Notable alumni
- Gavin Crawford, comedian and actor, best known for his role on the CBC comedy show, This Hour Has 22 Minutes
- Jon Gott, CFL player for the Ottawa Redblacks
- Kari Matchett, actress known for two TV series Nero Wolfe Mysteries and Covert Affairs
- Tanner McLachlan, NFL player for the Cincinnati Bengals
Notes and references
;Notes
;References
External links
- L.C.I. Home Page
- Alberta Education
- Lethbridge School District No. 51
- "LCI Jazz Choir Acapella Medley" on YouTube