Webber Academy

School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

SongRed Sun in The SkyMascotWylie the WildcatPublicationVoices MagazineSchool fees15,500 baseline feeWebsitewww.webberacademy.ca

Webber Academy is a non-denominational, co-educational, university preparatory, private school located in Calgary, Alberta, 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, who also served as an Alberta Cabinet Minister in the Hon. Peter Lougheed and Hon. Don Getty governments.^[1]

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 gymnasiums, 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.^[2] The students continued to conduct their prayers outside the building, but were repeatedly interrupted and questioned by campus staff.^[2] After a filed complaint, a human rights tribunal decided that "despite [Webber]'s 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.^[3]^[4]

In 2018, Alberta Education discontinued an online resource that included a question regarding positive effects of residential schools.^[5] Neil Webber, president of the academy, noted that "[Webber's Staff] want our teachers to discuss both positive and negative aspects of [residential 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.^[6]"

References

^ "Calgary private schools report spike in enrolment as back-to-school looms | CBC News".
^ ^a ^b "Webber Academy ordered to pay damages to 2 Muslim students over denying prayer at school". CBC.
^ Dryden, John. "Commission rules in favour of 2 Muslim students who wanted prayer at private school". CBC.
^ Webber Academy Foundation v Alberta (Human Rights Commission), 2016 ABQB 194 (Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta 2016).
^ Huncar, Andrea (September 21, 2018). "'Offensive' online test about Indigenous Canadians symptom of larger problem in Alberta schools, say advocates". CBC.
^ Leavitt, Kieran (2018-09-24). "Alberta private school sees merit in asking about 'positive effects' of residential schools". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2022-03-11.