Dear HWW Students, Families, and Community members, 

As we honour Pink Shirt Day and this year’s theme of Lift Each Other Up,  I would like to share with you my yearbook message for this year. The 2023- 2024 school calendar holds a Leap Year. This adds one extra day to our calendar. One extra day that we can choose to use well.

This year, I invite our Warriors to leap forward! To leap into connection, to leap into acts of service, to leap into opportunities to grow both as an individual and as a collective of Artists, Scholars and Champions.

This 2023-2024 school year has brought with it many opportunities and new experiences for our students. Our International Baccalaureate, ACCESS, PLP, GATE, and International Program bring a diversity of programs and perspectives. Our many clubs and extracurricular offerings have seen such success in student endeavors. Whether this is through our Debate, Model UN or Robotics Clubs, our Fine Arts and CTS program, our outstanding Athletics program, our varied course offerings or through the student voices in our Warrior Diversity Council, Warrior Voice Council and Warrior Allyance, our students have shown themselves to be remarkable.   

As a staff, we are abundantly proud of our students. When you succeed, we cheer! When a fresh start is needed, we are here to support. We learn, leap, and grow together.  

We are grateful for our parent/guardian and community support. The legacy of this remarkable school is deeply rooted in the Calgary community; this year we will graduate our 61st Class. And, this spring we will work with Elders as we plant our new Medicine Garden, as a step in our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. 

As a society, we continue to learn more about wellbeing as a precursor to learning.

At Henry Wise Wood High School, we look for continued ways to engage the learning spirit of our students and to create conditions for students to thrive in holistic and rich ways.  

So Warriors, this is my challenge to you. Each day is a gift. How will you make each day count? 

With hope and with gratitude, 

Aileen Smyth