Principal's Message

Welcome to Agassiz Elementary Secondary School’s website. Our school is located in the eastern Fraser Valley with a population of approximately 330 students. We serve the District of Kent, the Village of Harrison Hot Springs, as well as the First Nations’ communities of Sts'ailes, Seabird Island, Cheam, and Scowlitz. Our school is in the center of town and is used for a variety of community events creating an open door culture. There are two public feeder schools, Harrison Hot Springs Elementary and Kent Elementary. Both schools are Kindergarten to grade 6 configurations.The small town school atmosphere allows everyone to know your name, creating a personalized educational experience that encourages inclusion. Our school is proud to announce we are the “fastest-improving” school in British Columbia, ranked 17 out of 251 secondary schools. Congratulations to our hard working staff who focus on personalized learning for all students. Well done students !!! Additional educational opportunities for students are provided by an adult/alternate school, Agassiz Centre for Education, which provides adults and youth in the community the opportunity to upgrade.

Originally built in 1953 our school has been well maintained with a renovation to the technology wing which improved the space available for our wood and metal work programs. We also have a new gymnasium that provides our students with an excellent facility for our physical education program and our extra curricular activities. Our school community prides itself on its historical record of academic excellence and athletic prowess. We have been Provincial Champions in Field Hockey, Boy’s Basketball, Girl’s Basketball, Boy’s Volleyball, and Odyssey of the Mind. Our swimming and track and field teams are programs that are also producing excellent results.

AESS provides every student the opportunity to achieve success while exposing them to a variety of electives. The following departments have been designed to ensure that staff works collaboratively to provide our students with a variety of teaching strategies and consistent assessment standards; Humanities Department, Math/Science Department, Physical Education Department, Special Education Department, and Electives Department. Our elective programs includes course work in the fields of Industrial Technology (wood/metal/auto), Fine Arts, Home Economics, and Computer Technology. They are continually fine tuned to ensure relevant skills are provided for our students.

Our music program allows students to experiment with a variety of instruments at the grade 7 and 8 level. Senior band students focus on their skill development from Grade 9 through 12. Students perform for the community in a variety of ways from local parades to band concerts. Our band program also provides students the ability to travel and perform both within Canada and Internationally.

Students at AESS have an option to earn dual credit through the Youth Work in Trades Program (formerly called Secondary School Apprenticeship) or though the University of the Fraser Valley concurrent coursework. A great deal of time is spent helping students determine their areas of strength while building a personalized learning environment. Career Preparation Work Experience ensures students are exposed to the work environment prior to graduation. Senior students design their educational plan around their career aspirations. Staff, parents and students work closely together to maximize the learning potential of each individual student.

We welcome you to peruse the site and to contact us if you wish further information.

Mr. G. Lawley

Principal