Webber Academy is a non-denominational, co-educational, university preparatory, private school located in
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
,
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, Canada. Webber Academy offers academics spanning from junior kindergarten through grade 12. It was founded in 1997 by Dr.
Neil Webber, a former teacher and professor at
Mount Royal University
Mount Royal University (MRU) is a public university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally “Mount Royal College,” Mount Royal University was granted university status in 2009 by the provincial government. The university has an average class s ...
, who also served as an Alberta Cabinet Minister in the Hon.
Peter Lougheed
Edgar Peter Lougheed ( ; July 26, 1928 – September 13, 2012) was a Canadian lawyer and Progressive Conservative politician who served as the tenth premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985, presiding over a period of reform and economic growth.
...
and Hon.
Don Getty governments.
The campus consists of a junior kindergarten and senior kindergarten facility, a main building with elementary and senior school wings, third floor science centre, two full-size
gym
A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...
nasiums, an outdoor sports court, several playgrounds and a 400-meter running track. The school is situated on a 47-acre campus in southwest Calgary, currently home to 977 students (as of Oct 2016). Recently, an arts centre was built for the drama and music programmes, and its 500-seat theatre and dressing rooms can be rented out for public events.
Criticism
In 2012, two Muslim students were denied the right to privately pray on campus grounds.
The students continued to conduct their prayers outside the building, but were repeatedly interrupted and questioned by campus staff.
After a filed complaint, a human rights tribunal decided that "despite
ebbers specifically stated goal of making people of all religious backgrounds feel welcome, its actions, objectively viewed, were not welcoming." Webber Academy refused to re-enroll the students the following school year, and the students were awarded $26,000 in damages by the
Alberta Human Rights Commission in 2015.
In 2018, Alberta Education discontinued an online resource that included a question regarding positive effects of
residential schools. Neil Webber, president of the academy, noted that "
ebber's Staffwant our teachers to discuss both positive and negative aspects of
esidential schools" In the same interview, Webber also mentioned "Whether it's
slavery in the U.S. or Canada's relationship with Iraq or Iran, I think...you need to consider both the positive and negative benefits.
"
References
External links
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High schools in Calgary
Middle schools in Calgary
Elementary schools in Calgary
Private schools in Alberta
Educational institutions established in 1997
1997 establishments in Alberta
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