Georges P. Vanier Secondary School

The school opened in January 1968, completing a move of students from the old Courtenay Senior High School. Vanier was built to have a capacity of 1200 students. The school population grew to more than 1700 in the early 2000s, with the addition of 36 portable classrooms. This led to the opening of Mark R. Isfeld Senior Secondary School, which became the third district secondary school in the early 2000s.

Vanier has primarily been the regional secondary school in the Comox Valley School District, serving students from Hornby and Denman Islands, the City of Courtenay, and the communities of Dove Creek, Merville, Black Creek, Saratoga and Miracle Beach communities up to the Oyster River, which separates the Comox Valley School District from the Campbell River district.

In 2016, the school started a $33.8 million upgrade.[1]

The school facility has a natural setting on 96 acres (390,000 m²) located next to the Comox Valley Sports Centre, community track and playing fields. The grounds include three playing fields and access to a community all-weather field and a community daycare primarily built for teen mothers. The school includes the Vanier Studio Theatre, a full teaching cafeteria, and a large technology education wing that includes shops for house construction, auto mechanics, small engines, metalworking, electronics/robotics, woodwork and drafting.

Vanier has established links with four sister schools, one in Italy, one in Wales and two in Japan.

• Robotics, 2004, 2010
• Robotics World Championships, 2010
• Improv, 2009, 2010
• Improv, Destination Imagination Global Championships, 2018

• Kim Cattrall, actress
• Colin Hansen, BC finance minister
• Barry Pepper, actor
• Simon Nessman, model
• Cameron Levins, Olympian
• Geoff Kabush, Olympian