Widdifield Secondary School (WSS) was a high school located in North Bay, Ontario. It was a member of the Near North District School Board.
Overview
The school was founded in 1965 and named after Joseph Henry Widdifield, a nineteenth-century physician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for York North. It had a capacity of 1,164 students and the active student body generally ranged from 1,000 to 900. Because of the extensive area of the school zone, approximately 35-50% of students were bussed in. The school's motto was "Mens Quaerens in Corpore Sano," loosely meaning "an inquiring mind in a sound body."
Widdifield was the first school in Canada to incorporate a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)- Arts and Culture certificate program. It later obtained SHSM programs in Construction, Environment and Health and Wellness, as well as a fine arts magnet program called Arts Nipissing.
Closure
In September 2017, the Near North District School Board voted to close Widdifield, citing the declining youth population in North Bay and insufficient funding to maintain all three local high schools. The decision was challenged by local parents and investigated by the Ontario Ombudsman, but eventually reaffirmed in a 2019 revote.
In January 2018, it was announced the school would close in June 2019. In September, it was announced that the closure would be delayed by at least one year, due to difficulties securing increased funding for the other two high schools. WSS finally closed in June 2020.
In 2023, the building was used as a filming location for American movie Everything's Going to Be Great.
Drama
Widdifield's The Company''
International Thespian Society Festival, numerous Widdifield productions have traveled to the annual drama festival, which was held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Sears Ontario Drama Festival, Widdifield was a part of the drama Festival for almost 50 years and have won over 100 awards in the District, Regional and Provincial rounds. Widdifield was also the home of the local theatre program, Theatre Out Reach On Stage, in the summertime.