Prince of Wales is named in honour of the Prince of Wales, the heir apparent to the Canadian throne. The ostrich feather and crown symbol, and the Ich dien motto of the school are identical to those of its namesake. Prince of Wales opened for classes in September 1920 at its original site, which is now Shaughnessy Elementary School. In 1960 it moved to its current location, which had previously been a golf course.
Programs offered
Electives
Prince of Wales offers a variety of electives that appeal to student interests, which range from applied skills such as home economics, technical education, and business education, to fine arts. Many students pursue these electives for personal interest, or they choose these courses because they will be studying in this fields for their post-secondary programs. For example, many students take senior level accounting, marketing, and economics courses offered at PW and go on to study Commerce / Business in their post-secondary program.
Mini School Program
Prince of Wales Mini School seeks co-operative, creative, self-motivated and well-rounded students who have demonstrated above average academic achievement and involvement in school and community. The school aims to develop organizational skills, problem-solving techniques, and the ability to work cooperatively and independently in an academically challenging, enriched program requiring effort and self-discipline. An outdoor education component provides physical and emotional challenges, developing skills and contributing to the school community atmosphere. Students develop leadership skills through running school events and fund raising.
TREK Outdoor Education Program
The TREK program is offered for grade 10 students from schools throughout the Vancouver School District with an interest in outdoor activities and environmental education. The program admits 112 students each year, who are get to go on various outdoor trips throughout their school year. The program finishes most of the regular grade 10 academic curriculum while being able to participate in outdoor activities, including both overnight and day trips that teach basic outdoor skills, minimum impact camping, hiking and backpacking, ocean kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, back-country skiing, cross-country skiing, snow shelter building & winter camping, avalanche awareness, cycle touring, outdoor cooking, and map & compass navigation, and in-class focus on sustainability and the environment.
GOLD Program
The Gifted Over Learning Disabled Program is a district program designed for gifted students who have also been identified as having a learning disability. The acceptance rate is very low with an average of only about 8 students per year. Students in the program have at least one GOLD block as part of their regular timetable with GOLD English also being offered at the grade 8 level. The curriculum of the program includes communication skills, decision making, subject and personal support, self-awareness and self-advocacy.
Timetable
Prince of Wales operates on VSB's standard linear timetable of Day 1 / Day 2 rotation, from early September to late June. Each day has four blocks with 1 hour and 15 minutes of instruction in each block. Classes begin at 8:55 a.m. and end at 3:03 p.m.
