Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School (Waterloo)
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| Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School | |
| Address | |
| 650 Laurelwood Drive Waterloo, Ontario, N2V 2V1, Canada |
|
| Information | |
| School board | Waterloo Region District School Board |
| Principal | Julie Telfer |
| Vice principal | Vida Collis & John Craig |
| School type | Public |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Motto | Audere est credere Dare to believe |
| Mascot | Johnny Mac |
| Team name | Highlanders |
| Colours | Light Blue, Dark Blue & White |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Enrollment | 1,550 (2007-08) |
| Homepage | http://sjam.wrdsb.on.ca/ |
Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School is a high school operated by the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It opened in September 2004 and provides both academic and vocational programs to about 1,550 students (2007-08).
The school is located on Laurelwood Drive in the rapidly growing northwest end of the city of Waterloo. It is named after Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, and is commonly referred to as SJAM ("ess-jam"), and sometimes as J-Mac. SJAM's athletic teams are called the Highlanders. The school motto is "audere est credere," translated as "dare to believe," which is the name of the school song.SJAM is the largest high school in the City of Waterloo. They have the best senior and junior football team in 07-08. Also the one of the best Junior & Senior Rugby team in Ontario.
SJAM is the Waterloo site of the WRDSB's Fast Forward program, designed for students who have typically struggled academically. About 17 per cent (245) of SJAM students are in Fast Forward Program.
Construction of the $27 million, 206,000 square-foot school was plagued by construction delays. It opened two months before construction was complete, with students initially limited to partial days of classes. The name was selected in 2003 by school board trustees. When they asked for suggestions, the most frequently submitted name was Oscar Peterson, but because he was still alive, Peterson wasn't eligible to have a school named after him (The Record, April 24, 2003).
