Saunders Secondary School


Saunders Secondary School is located at 941 Viscount Road in the Westmount suburb of London, Ontario, Canada. It is named after William Saunders. William Saunders was a Canadian pioneer and an authority on all matters pertaining to agriculture and horticulture. Grades offered are 9–12. Saunders' school colours are red and gold and its mascot is a sabre-tooth tiger. Saunders Secondary School is the largest high school in the Thames Valley District School Board with close to 2000 students and 120 teachers. As of 2008, Saunders is also the site of new credit summer school for the TVDSB.

History

Classes for Saunders began in portables at Westminster S.S. in 1970. Construction of Saunders was completed in 1972. The school cost more than $8 million to build. The location caused many heated debates. The people of Byron, Ontario had been promised, upon amalgamation with the city of London, Ontario, a secondary school in their area so that their children would not have to be bused to the Westmount area. The chosen site for the multimillion-dollar school – right in the heart of the Westmount area, across the street from the Westmount Mall – greatly angered the Byron Area Secondary School Association. In spite of this, in January 1969, the London Board of Education approved the Westmount location for the school.
On April 18, 1994, arsonists set fire to Saunders forcing the evacuation and temporary closure of the school, as well as an extensive rebuilding of the rear part of the building. London Police subsequently charged three students with setting the blaze.
Saunders recently underwent an exterior renovation, the first new construction at the school in over three decades. A new entryway was added on the north-east corner of the building along with the fire escape stairs at the south and on the north-west corner of the school, contrasting modern with brutalist architecture.

Tech programs

Saunders has been recognized as having one of the most developed and diversified programs in London. Current tech programs include: photography, broadcasting, electrical, computer engineering, woodworking, automotive, autobody, drafting graphic design, machine shop, welding and a newly added art welding course.
Notably, Saunders offers co-operative education in the above courses as well as: science, physical education, family studies, business and administration, computer programming, and others.

Musical theatre

Saunders is one of the only schools in the TVDSB that offers the musical theatre performance course, another being H.B. Beal. One difference between the two schools' programs is the rotation. While Beal takes a 2 show-break schedule, Saunders does a big show on the main stage, and then a smaller show in the drama studio, alternating each year. The shows that have been performed are:
The senior boys' volleyball team won both TVRAA and OFSAA in AAAA for the fourth straight year in 2007, the only team in Ontario history to accomplish this feat. Saunders is considered one of the best volleyball high schools in Canada, having many of the provinces' elite young players.
The Saunders junior football team won the city championships in 2007 for the first time in ten years.
Nigel Wilson, a former teacher at Saunders was also a volunteer coach at the University of Western Ontario. In 2007 he received the Gino Fracas Award for Most Outstanding Volunteer Assistant Coach in Canadian University Football.
Led by Chris Beauchamp, Saunders Varsity Wrestling team won team championship for the second year in a row. Boys TVRAA and WOSSAA Champions. Also won Boys 3rd overall at OFSAA in 2016 and 7th overall as a school.

Notable alumni and staff