Yale Secondary School

Yale Secondary School, situated in the eastern end of Abbotsford, B.C. serves about 1250 students, grades 9-12. The school was established in 1971 as a junior high school and graduated its first class of seniors in 1988. Yale has established a reputation for academic excellence, built on the strength of the school’s longstanding commitment to offering a robust Advanced Placement program, but has also staked a claim in the areas of athletics, the arts, career programs, and student leadership. The school also prides itself in the work of meeting the diverse needs of all of its students. Resources such as Traverse, Learning Support Services, Special Education in addition to an attitude among teachers that emphasizes helping students make successful transitions, all come together to ensure that all students at Yale have an opportunity to be successful. Yale has adopted the motto, Take Care of Yourself, Take Care of Each Other, and Take Care of This Place. Using the tenets of Positive Behaviour Support, the school has operationalized these statements as a guide for expectations of behaviour for Yale students. It is the goal of all the adults that expectations are clearly stated, explicitly taught, and consistently reinforced. In addition to dealing with negative behaviours, Yale seeks also to recognize and honour those students making positive decisions. The teachers at Yale are committed to the success of their students and go out of their way to make themselves available to their students. Many teachers spend countless hours outside of classroom time, ensuring students understand course material and are experiencing success. Department leaders bring together teachers within their curricular area to discuss important topics that impact teaching and learning. Currently, departments are working toward the school’s goal of developing a common core in each subject area, ensuring equity and consistency with regard to central learning outcomes.