It’s hard to imagine that just over 25 years ago there was no secondary school in Whistler. Founded in September 1996 on the ancestral territories of the Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw and St'át'y'emc Nations, more than 1,500 students and their families have been part of Whistler Secondary Community School (WSS) to date.
WSS is the only public high school in Whistler, part of the Sea to Sky School District (SD48), and is designated a “community school” with the Resort Municipality of Whistler managing the rental of the gym, multi-purpose room and fields after school hours and during holiday periods.
Whistler Secondary has come a long way since it opened. The most notable changes are the physical developments of the school as well as athletic and academic advancements. The school has grown to offer programs and experiences that could not be offered anywhere except in our beautiful valley.
WSS currently has 49 staff, excluding custodians and maintenance staff, and 558 students from Grades 8 to 12, including 142 Grade 12s, 98 Grade 11s, 120 Grade 10s, 98 Grade 9s, and 100 Grade 8s. The Grade 12 class is one of the largest graduating classes to date and celebrated their commencement last week, the only class to have an in-person graduation since 2019 due to the pandemic.
On June 23, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Whistler Secondary Community School, which was postponed in 2021, with a barbecue complete with an Olympic-sized cake at the school. Hosted by WSS and our PAC, we will mark this milestone together as we come to the end of our 2021-22 school year, bid farewell to our Grade 12s, welcome our incoming Grade 7s, and reconnect again as a community. Students, families, alumni and staff are all welcome to attend!
On behalf of the PAC at WSS, we are thrilled to be able to gather in-person with our school community again. We are grateful for our amazing school administration and committed staff, and look forward to the new school year ahead with many exciting developments in progress.
Thank you to our Whistler community for all of your support of Whistler Secondary and our students over the past 25 years! It truly takes a village!
