Richmond Secondary School (1927- ) has the distinction of being the City of Richmond’s first high school ever incorporated. It was built when the School Board decided to build a separate facility at the corner of Cambie and Sexsmith Roads in order to better serve the secondary students in Richmond by accommodating Grades 9 to 11. Matriculation (high school graduation) was Grade 11 at this time. In 1937, Grades 8 and 9 were added and the school’s name changed to Richmond Junior-Senior High School. In 1952, a new facility was built near the intersection of Foster Road, now Minoru Boulevard, and Granville Avenue in the heart of Richmond in order to focus on the speciality subjects for Grades 11 and 12 only. For a short time Grade 13, Senior Matriculation was offered as well. This new facility retook its old name of Richmond High, and the older facility on Cambie Road became Cambie Junior Secondary School, serving Grades 7 to 10.
In 1908 the Provincial Government passed a new School Act which combined four existing districts (North Arm or Lulu, Sea Island, English and Steveston) into the Richmond School District. The growth of this new district was slow but in 1927 a new high school was built for Richmond students. This building was located at Cambie and Sexsmith, and was named “Richmond High School”.The Great Depression hit in 1929 and slowed growth even further. In fact, only one new school was constructed in the next ten years. The student population fell significantly with the outbreak of World War II when Canadians of Japanese descent, were relocated in camps in the interior of the province. After 1945, however, there was tremendous growth in the Richmond School District and by 1950 the school population had doubled to 2900. At that time the Superintendent, Colonel J. N. Burnett, ordered a survey growth. This led to the construction of many new schools: Cook, Blundell, Steveston, Whiteside, Kidd, Dixon and a new Richmond High School on the present-day site.
In 1946 the principal of Richmond High School, Mr. A. R. MacNeill, asked the Richmond Council to buy 9.3 acres of land on Granville Road as a site for the construction of a new high school. This was eventually done at a cost of $5,400.00 and the new Richmond High School was opened on December 5, 1952. Since that time the school’s name and its Principal have changed many times as shown in the following table but the school has enjoyed a uninterrupted history of distinguished service to the students of the Richmond School District.
Richmond Secondary School was formally recognized as an IB World School in 1986, and to this day is the only secondary school in Richmond to offer the IB diploma program. Beginning in 1996, Grades 8 to 10 were systematically added to Richmond High, and the school became Richmond Secondary School. On January 1, 2004, our new facility was opened at the same site, as the old structure was torn down and replaced.
The school was named after the municipality, but the historical source of the term Richmond is still being debated. Some say Hugh Boyd and his wife, who hosted the first council meeting in 1879, had the community named after Mrs. Boyd’s birthplace - Richmond, Yorkshire, England. Another source is linked to W.D. Ferris, who drafted the petition for Richmond’s incorporation; he chose Richmond because it commemorates his birthplace - Richmond, Surrey, England. A third possibility involves Hugh McRobert’s daughter naming their homestead on Sea Island (1861) Richmond View because it brought back memories of her former home in New South Wales, Australia. Some of Richmond’s first settlers came from Richmond County in Ontario – another possibility for the origin of the name. Regardless of its source, the name of the school was chosen to represent the municipality.
Much of this information comes from “A History of Public Schools in Richmond 1877-1979” written by Steve Boggis and published by the Richmond School District.
In 1908 the Provincial Government passed a new School Act which combined four existing districts (North Arm or Lulu, Sea Island, English and Steveston) into the Richmond School District. The growth of this new district was slow but in 1927 a new high school was built for Richmond students. This building was located at Cambie and Sexsmith, and was named “Richmond High School”.The Great Depression hit in 1929 and slowed growth even further. In fact, only one new school was constructed in the next ten years. The student population fell significantly with the outbreak of World War II when Canadians of Japanese descent, were relocated in camps in the interior of the province. After 1945, however, there was tremendous growth in the Richmond School District and by 1950 the school population had doubled to 2900. At that time the Superintendent, Colonel J. N. Burnett, ordered a survey growth. This led to the construction of many new schools: Cook, Blundell, Steveston, Whiteside, Kidd, Dixon and a new Richmond High School on the present-day site.
In 1946 the principal of Richmond High School, Mr. A. R. MacNeill, asked the Richmond Council to buy 9.3 acres of land on Granville Road as a site for the construction of a new high school. This was eventually done at a cost of $5,400.00 and the new Richmond High School was opened on December 5, 1952. Since that time the school’s name and its Principal have changed many times as shown in the following table but the school has enjoyed a uninterrupted history of distinguished service to the students of the Richmond School District.
Richmond Secondary School was formally recognized as an IB World School in 1986, and to this day is the only secondary school in Richmond to offer the IB diploma program. Beginning in 1996, Grades 8 to 10 were systematically added to Richmond High, and the school became Richmond Secondary School. On January 1, 2004, our new facility was opened at the same site, as the old structure was torn down and replaced.
The school was named after the municipality, but the historical source of the term Richmond is still being debated. Some say Hugh Boyd and his wife, who hosted the first council meeting in 1879, had the community named after Mrs. Boyd’s birthplace - Richmond, Yorkshire, England. Another source is linked to W.D. Ferris, who drafted the petition for Richmond’s incorporation; he chose Richmond because it commemorates his birthplace - Richmond, Surrey, England. A third possibility involves Hugh McRobert’s daughter naming their homestead on Sea Island (1861) Richmond View because it brought back memories of her former home in New South Wales, Australia. Some of Richmond’s first settlers came from Richmond County in Ontario – another possibility for the origin of the name. Regardless of its source, the name of the school was chosen to represent the municipality.
Much of this information comes from “A History of Public Schools in Richmond 1877-1979” written by Steve Boggis and published by the Richmond School District.
YEARS |
SCHOOL NAME |
PRINCIPAL |
1927 - 1928 |
Richmond High School |
Miss I.E. Clemens |
1928 - 1958 |
Richmond High School (Jr & Sr) |
Mr. A. R. MacNeill |
1959 - 1965 |
Richmond High School |
Mr. B. G. Webber |
1966 - 1968 |
Richmond Secondary School |
Mr. E. R. Ball |
1969 - 1970 |
Richmond Secondary School |
Mr. H. Lindsay |
1970 - 1983 |
Richmond Senior Secondary School |
Mr. H. Lindsay |
1984 - 1986 |
Richmond Senior Secondary School |
Mr. J. Rantanen |
1986 - 1990 |
Richmond Senior Secondary School |
Mr. R. Akune |
1990 - 1994 |
Richmond Senior Secondary School |
Mr. R. Carkner |
1994 - 2006 |
Richmond Secondary School |
Mrs. D. Macklam |
2006 - 2011 |
Richmond Secondary School |
Mr. J. McLeod |
2011 - 2015 |
Richmond Secondary School |
Ms. R. Sebellin |
2015 to April 2020 |
Richmond Secondary School |
Mr. J. Allison |
April 2020 to present |
Richmond Secondary School |
Ms. Anita Kwon |