****Ross Sheppard High School or École Ross Sheppard (SHEP or Ross Shep) is a high school located in a northwest neighbourhood of Coronation Park, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The school colours are Colombia blue and navy blue, and it is represented by a Thunderbird, also known as a T-Bird. Outside the school is a totem pole with a T-Bird on top, which has been given by British Columbia's Indigenous elders, representing the school mascot. The school serves the needs of over 2,000 students attending grades 10-12, including approximately 35 international students annually. Ross Sheppard School's philosophy is based on four pillars - Academics, Arts, Athletics and Service.

Academics

Ross Sheppard School offers the standard academic program as well as International Baccalaureate (IB), Physical Education, Careers and Technology, Fine Arts, and practical arts. Languages offered other than English include Chinese Mandarin (as part of the ECBEA program), Spanish and all levels in French. Ross Sheppard offers the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) Diploma Program in addition to the Alberta education curriculum. During this year continue in a partial I.B. program, or continue in the regular Alberta education program. Most students take the regular Alberta education program while few students take the full program. Students complete the I.B. program while fulfilling their Alberta diploma requirements. Ross Sheppard also offers French Immersion with the first class graduating in 2008 with a bilingual diploma. Partnering with Edmonton Public Schools and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Ross Sheppard provides the "Foundations of Health Sciences" course. The course allows students to receive hands-on skills in the health care field and to look to a future career in acute and long-term care or other fields with strong communication and interpersonal skills. Students can choose to pursue a career in health care immediately, or to study related post-secondary programs. Students enrolled in level 2 of the Skills Centre programs are eligible for enrollment to NAIT through the Skill Centre Project. According to Fraser Institute, Ross Sheppard is rated as one of the top 10 best high schools out of all 25 public high schools in Edmonton, Alberta, and ninety-ninth out of two hundred sixty-two high schools in Alberta.

Arts

Ross Sheppard offers a wide range of programs in the Arts.

Athletics

Ross Sheppard offers a wide range of sports including swimming, volleyball, cross-country running, curling, rugby, cheer team, track and field, indoor soccer, basketball, badminton, football, wrestling, golf and handball. It offers 16 sports and 27 teams, over 400 student athletes, multiple city and provincial championship teams, a full-time strength and condition coach and a part-time therapist. Ross Sheppard offers an extensive co-curricular program of athletics, the arts, recreational and academic interests. Facilities include an Olympic-sized swimming pool, football and track stadium, three major playing fields, tennis courts, Telus World of Science (Edmonton), the Commonwealth bowling green and soon to open in 2026 indoor Velodrome.

Service

There are a number of student-led clubs in the school that center around helping local and international charities.

Resource centres

Three resource centres are located throughout the school, are easily accessible and offer students support with their academic studies.

The school's namesake

Ross Sheppard represented Canada in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, and competed in the hop, step and jump. Sheppard went on to become a teacher, principal and school administrator, and served as superintendent of the Edmonton Public School Board from 1940 to 1955. Sheppard devised the composite high school system, offering academic, commercial, and industrial subjects, and was the first superintendent in Canada to implement the concept. During his 15 years as Superintendent of Schools, the number of permanent public schools increased from 30 to 63. When he retired in 1955, the school board named its newest high school in his honour. Construction started in 1956, with an addition in 1958. Sheppard’s retirement concluded 42 years of service to the Edmonton public school system. He died 12 years later, on September 4, 1967.

Notable alumni

Olympians Professional Athletes Artists

Incidents