Orillia Secondary School (also known as OSS) is a

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

located in

Orillia Orillia () is a city in Ontario, Canada, about 30 km (18 mi) north-east of Barrie in Simcoe County. It is located at the confluence of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a Lis ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. It was established in 2015, following the 2013 merger of Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute and Park Street Collegiate Institute, and has a population of about 1,200 students as of the 2021–2022 academic year. The school building was built between 2014 and 2016, and is equipped with a triple gymnasium, technology rooms, a library, and cafeteria. The principal is Brae Montgomery.

Origins

After the 2012–2013 academic year, Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute was merged with

Park Street Collegiate Institute Park Street Collegiate Institute (PSCI) was a secondary school located in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. It was built in 1961 to help with the overflow of students from Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute. In March 2008, a review proces ...

, which after declining enrollment, was demolished so that a new school could be built on its former site, at the intersection of Park Street and Collegiate Drive.

Progress Pride flag controversy

In early June 2024, the school flew the

Progress Pride flag The rainbow flag or pride flag (formerly gay pride flag) is a LGBT symbols, symbol of LGBT pride, LGBTQ pride and LGBTQ movements, LGBTQ social movements. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ community and the spectrum of human sexu ...

in order to comply with a request from the Simcoe County District School Board's

diversity, equity, and inclusion In the United States, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are organizational frameworks that seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject ...

(DEI) department. However, the school only had one flag pole, and the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...

normally flies on it. It is against the

flag protocol A flag protocol (or flag code) is a set of rules and regulations for the display of flags within a country, including national, subnational, and foreign flags. Generally, flag protocols call for the national flag to be the most prominent flag (i. ...

to fly the national flag with another flag on the same pole. The pride flag thus flew alone, and some students reported being upset with this decision, believing it is only appropriate to fly the national flag. One OSS student who identifies as

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

and

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

started a petition to replace it with the Canadian flag again, stating the decision "led to an increase in bullying of students from the 2SLGBTQ+ community".

Notable alumni

Leslie Frost Leslie Miscampbell Frost (September 20, 1895 – May 4, 1973) was a politician in Ontario, Canada, who served as the province's 16th premier from May 4, 1949, to November 8, 1961. Due to his lengthy tenure, he gained the nickname "Old Man O ...

, politician *

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide success and helped define the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. Widely considered one of Canada's greatest songwriters, ...

, musician *

Ethan Moreau Ethan Byron Moreau (born September 22, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Moreau was selected in the first round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, 14th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He ...

, NHL player

References

High schools in Simcoe County Educational institutions in Canada with year of establishment missing Buildings and structures in Orillia 2015 establishments in Ontario Educational institutions established in 2015 {{Ontario-school-stub

Origins

Progress Pride flag controversy

Notable alumni

See also

References