Centennial Secondary School (Coquitlam)

Centennial Secondary School was built in 1966, a year before the centennial of Canada's founding. It was completed one year after adjacent Vanier Elementary opened in 1965. Its running track was completed soon after on an empty grassy field. An additional activity centre and gymnasium was built on the southeast side of the school in 2003.

On January 31, 2013, Centennial reduced its number of vice principals to two, likely because of the low number of students currently enrolled in the school. In September 2016, students and faculty moved into a newer building bearing the Centennial name, built southeast of the original building. With that done, the older building began demolition one year later, and demolition was completed in May 2018. The remnants will be replaced by a soccer field for the newer building.

Centennial Secondary's original school building, constructed in 1967, is currently being replaced with a newer building located on the same site. Once construction is complete, the old building will be demolished, with the exception of one of its gymnasiums. The new building was designed by Graham Hoffart Mathiasen Architects, and will have a capacity of 1250 students. The school's design is expected to meet LEED Gold standards, by utilizing features such as environmental conservation, energy efficiency, an emphasis on use of natural lighting, and natural landscaping. The school will have a teaching kitchen, shops for metal, automotive and carpentry, and a 220-seat theatre. Design features include classrooms with moveable walls, flexible learning spaces for student-teacher collaboration, and an outdoor amphitheatre.[3] The cost of the new school is $49-million, and includes construction of a new Neighbourhood Learning Centre that will house youth programs and post-secondary programs.[4]

The project was initially announced by the province in 2009. Detailed plans for the school replacement were presented to the public on January 17, 2012. Construction of the new school began in late 2013,[5] and is expected to be finished during the 2015-2016 school year.[6] Those expectations were met in 2016.

Several residents from the surrounding residential neighbourhood raised concerns about the proposed building's height, stating that portions of the building at a height of 16 metres would decrease property values, diminished sightlines, and restrict privacy and natural lighting. The project's architect responded by stating that testing concluding that no natural lighting to surrounding buildings would be lost.[7]

James Moore, former Conservative cabinet minister and Member of Parliament for Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, graduated from Centennial in 1994.[8]

Former FA Premier League goalkeeper Craig Forrest attended Centennial School. Forrest appeared in 263 games for Ipswich Town, 30 games for West Ham United, and 3 games for Chelsea. Forrest also earned 56 caps for the Canadian national soccer team, the most of any goalkeeper in team history, and earned the most clean sheets in the country's history. Forrest was elected to Canada's Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007.[9][10] Current Canadian national soccer team midfielder Jeff Clarke and Canadian women's national soccer player Brittany Timko also both attended Centennial School.[11][12]

Juno Award-winning rock musician Matthew Good graduated from Centennial School in 1989, and became lead singer for the Matthew Good Band, one of Canada's most successful alternative rock bands in the 1990s. Centennial School was featured in the "Alert Status Red" video, and its cheerleading squad recorded for "Giant".[13] The Matthew Good Band was dissolved in 2002, and Good has since pursued a solo career and established himself as a political activist, blogger, and author of a book of previously-published manifestos.[14]

Alex Stieda graduated in 1979, was an MVP on the Varsity Volleyball team and was the first Canadian and North American to earn and wear the Yellow Jersey in the 1986 Tour de France.

Brent Pierce, who graduated from Centennial Secondary in 1987, was on the Greg McAulay team that won the 2000 Briar (Canadian Curling Championships). He then participated at the 2000 Ford World Curling Championships. In 2009, Pierce was at the Briar again as the third on the Sean Geall team[15]

Former National Basketball Association player Lars Hansen played his high school basketball at Centennial School. He was a member of the Seattle SuperSonics 1979 NBA Championship team, and was elected to the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.[16]

Model and host of MTV Select and G4techTV Amanda MacKay also attended Centennial School where she started her journalism career writing for the school's student newspaper.

Playboy Playmate and actress Dorothy Stratten attended Centennial High School. Stratten was Playmate of the Year for 1980. She appeared in several movies, including Peter Bogdanovich's "They All Laughed", before she was murdered by her estranged husband. Stratten was portrayed twice in biographies of her life, by Jamie Lee Curtis in Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story, and by Mariel Hemingway in "Star 80".[17]

2007 graduate Sandy Gill swam for Team Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympic Qualifiers. A member of the Canadian National Synchronized Swimming team for 10 years, also attending two World Championships.

Calgary Stampeders wide receiver Lemar Durant graduated from Centennial in 2010. He led the 2009 Centennial Centaurs football team to win the provincial championship in his senior season.

Centennial High School was used in the filming of an episode of Psych, Season 3 Episode 2, titled "Murder? … Anyone? … Anyone? … Bueller?"[18]

"Stand Against Fear" featuring Sarah Chalke was filmed at Centennial in 1996.

Scenes from Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and American Pie Presents: The Book of Love were also filmed at Centennial.

• Centennial Secondary's Public Site