Walnut Grove Secondary School (WGSS) is located in the community of Walnut Grove in Langley, British Columbia. It has an enrollment of over 2,000 students, making it the largest school in Langley and one of the largest schools in the Vancouver region. As of 2009, it was the seventh largest school in the province of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. The athletic programs, led by their

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

Wally, are among the highest ranking in the province. The school has undergone two significant capital projects since its inception, including the latest in 2001 with a new multipurpose room, classrooms, and student common spaces. WGSS is also the location for many scenes from the Disney movie ''

16 Wishes ''16 Wishes'' is a 2010 teen fantasy-comedy television film directed by Peter DeLuise and written by Annie DeYoung, starring Debby Ryan and Jean-Luc Bilodeau. It premiered on June 25, 2010, on Disney Channel in the United States and on July 16, ...

''.

Principals

* September 1991 - December 2006 : Mary Wright * January 2007 - February 2010 : Barry Bunyan * February 2010 - December 2012: Jim DarbyWalnut Grove Senior Secondary: About Us
/ref> *December 2012 – 2017: George Kozlovic *September 2017 - June 2020: Balan Moorthy *September 2020 – Present: Jeremy Lyndon

Athletics

Walnut Grove's athletics department competes at the "AAA" level. Walnut Grove also competes in boys and girls volleyball, boys and girls' rugby, ice hockey and a track and field program.

BC Boys Provincial Basketball Championships

From March 15–19, 2011, the Walnut Grove Gators Senior basketball team participated in the 66th annual BC Boys AAA Championship, after advancing through the 2011 Fraser Valley AAA Zone Tournament. In 2012, the Gators Senior Boys Basketball Team lost the BC Boys AAA Provincial Championships to

Terry Fox Secondary School Terry Fox Secondary School is a school with approximately 1550 students in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. The original building was built in the 1950s under the name "Port Coquitlam Senior Secondary" for grades 11 and 12. In 1986, it ...

. The final score was 73–72. In 2013, the Gators Senior Boys Basketball Team won the AAA Provincial Championships over

White Rock Christian Academy White Rock Christian Academy (WRCA) is a Pre-K to Grade 12 Christian private school in South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. WRCA states its core purpose is to "inspire and cultivate citizens of Godly character who transform their world for Chri ...

. In 2017, the Gators Senior Boys Basketball Team won the AAAA Provincial Championships 78-65 over the defending champion Kelowna Secondary School. This concluded a season which included 7 major tournament wins including the Western Canada Invitational and Fraser Valley Championship. The Gators finished with a 40-1 record. This cemented the 2017 team as one of the greatest to touch the court in the provinces history.

WGSS Cairn

The WGSS Cairn was installed in late summer 2014, preceding the start of the school year.

Fine Arts and Performing Arts

Walnut Grove music department

The Walnut Grove band program is split into three sections: Junior Concert Band (grade 8), Intermediate Concert Band (grade 9), and Senior Concert Band (grades 10-12). Along with the Concert Band, the music department also features a Junior-Intermediate Jazz Band (Grades 8 and 9), a Senior Jazz Band (Grades 10-12), and one of the district's only

Drumline Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...

. Walnut Grove also has vocal groups, including the Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, and Vocal Jazz. The department also allows the students to take a Music Composition course, including AP.

Notable alumni

* Dallas Smith - lead singer for Default, alternative and country artist * Tara Teng - Miss B.C. World 2010, Miss Canada 2011, Miss World Canada 2012 *

Lauren Southern Lauren Cherie Southern (born 16 June 1995) is a Canadian alt-right YouTuber, political activist and commentator. In 2015, Southern ran as a Libertarian Party candidate in the Canadian federal election. Southern worked for Rebel Media until M ...

- alt-right political activist, white nationalist, and YouTuber

References

{{SD35BCSchools High schools in British Columbia Educational institutions established in 1991 1991 establishments in British Columbia