Robert Cecil Palmer Secondary School

Robert Cecil Palmer Secondary School is a secondary school situated in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada which educates students in grades 8-12.

History

Robert C. Palmer Junior High School first opened in September 1959 with an enrollment of 769. This school is named after Robert Cecil Palmer, a Richmond resident and magistrate in the provincial court for 22 years. The school underwent two renovations in 1978 and in the late 1990s and then officially reopened in May 2000. Also, in the late 90's, Palmer became a full grade 8 to 12 secondary school.^[1] The school burned on April 10, 1976.^[2]

Motto and colors

The school colours, navy blue and powder blue, were chosen in 1959 by the student council. The school's Greek motto, KUDOS, can be translated to "for valour" or "for honour" and it is a part of the school's crest designed by the first art department.^[3]

Palmer Griffins

The Griffin represents the Palmer family and is a part of the Palmer Family coat of arms. It is a mythological creature that is part lion and part eagle, they are a symbol of wisdom, strength and loyalty.

School activities

Palmer Incentive/AP Program

Palmer’s Incentive Program provides a challenging course of study for students with strong ability and motivation. Students cover the core curriculum and explore enrichment topics that vary according to subject and grade level. Critical and creative thinking skills, field studies, topic acceleration, group presentation, independent research, and study in areas of special interest are all integral parts of the program.

Science Team

The school regularly participates in science competitions within British Columbia,^[4] including the Annual UBC Physics Olympics and Kwantlen Science Challenge. The teams are currently organized and coached under Jason Chow, a science, mathematics, and physics teacher.^[5]

Basketball Team

The school hosts a basketball program for students that replaces the regular P.E. course with an all-basketball program and teaches the fundamentals, tricks, and plays of the sport. Recently, the senior basketball team have made it to the 63rd Annual Telus-BCHSBBA Boys Provincial Basketball Championships, held in the PNE Agrodome. In 2011, they won the Provincial Championships at the Langley Events Centre under head coach Paul Eberhardt. Team captains Vijay Dhillon and Billy Cheng won Most Valuable Player and Best Defensive Player of the Tournament, respectively.^[6]

JAX Club and JAXOLA

Recently, the JAX Club (formerly known as the Japanese Exchange Club), headed by Bill Fukazawa, has been supplied by Thomas Kemper soda in an exclusive brand called JAXOLA, to promote interest of the club and Palmer.

Notable alumni

• Edison Chen, Hong Kong-based entertainer^[7]
• Bobby Singh, Canadian football guard for the Calgary Stampeders and school trustee for School District 38 Richmond^[8]

References

External links

• Official homepage
• Enrollment Reports

Schools in Richmond, British Columbia
Secondary schools	Burnett Cambie Hugh Boyd MacNeill McMath McNair McRoberts Palmer Richmond Steveston-London
Primary or elementary schools	Anderson Blair Blundell Bridge Brighouse Byng Cook DeBeck Diefenbaker Dixon Errington Ferris Garden City General Currie Gilmore Grauer Hamilton Homma Kidd Kingswood Lee Lord Byng Maple Lane McKay McKinney McNeely Mitchell Quilchena Sea Island Spul'u'kwuks Steves Tait Talmey Thompson Tomsett Westwind Whiteside Woodward Wowk
Private schools	BC Muslim School City Vancouver Academy Richmond Christian St. Paul School (Richmond) St. Joseph the Worker School (Richmond)