About Us

"Be the Best You Can Be"

Our Vision

A positive, caring community of learners dedicated to individual success and excellence.

Our Mission

It is the mission of Rick Hansen Secondary to empower all learners to succeed and provide all students with the best possible education. At Rick Hansen Secondary, we encourage all students to “Be the Best You Can Be.” Our Motto represents Rick's belief that we should all look within ourselves to discover what we are each capable of accomplishing and focus on improving ourselves and not on trying to be better than someone else.

Our Beliefs

Our school exists to:

  1. Prepare students to use critical and creative thinking skills to solve future problems
  2. Teach meaningful life skills to be productive members of society
  3. Provide a safe environment
  4. Enlighten students to the world around them to obtain world perspectives
  5. To help students reach their potential and find their passion
  6. Teach students to capitalize on their strengths by allowing success in a variety of ways
  7. Expose students to differences to promote inclusiveness and acceptance
  8. To be a focal point for the community
  9. Promote and enable respect by teaching core values and social responsibility
  10. Promote healthy living and enhance extracurricular activities in order to build relationships between staff and students

Our School Colours

Navy Blue: Represents the person of Rick Hansen
Metallic Gold: Represents value and worth purified by the “Fires of Adversity”
White: Represents purity of purpose

Our School Logo

"St. Elmo's Fire" - This comes from a Mariner's Legend, recorded many times in history, where during the height of a storm, sailors would be led to safety by the appearance of a phenomenal light that would find them a safe harbour. We also have our Sport logo representing the Hurricanes. 

Our School Nickname

Hurricanes  - Hurricanes are powerful and destructive winds that rage throughout the world. When thought of in the metaphorical sense, the same winds can become the problems we all face as we journey through life. And yet, we have St. Elmo's Fire (the example and principles of Rick Hansen) to see us through to safety. 

Accessibility Features

Rick Hansen Secondary School received the ‘Accessibility Certified Gold’ rating under the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC) program in 2019. Rick Hansen Secondary is the first school to receive the rating in Canada. Our accessiblity features are:

• Elevators: Three elevators, one of which is an oversized elevator to accommodate extra-large wheel chairs that recline
• Wayfinding: built into the tile as well as interior signage with raised lettering and braille
• Accessible cafeteria: tables accommodate wheelchairs
• Visual Alarms: in hallways and washrooms indicating an emergency to warn hearing impaired individuals
• Cane detectable trophy cases and water bottle fill stations: to assist with navigation for visually impaired individuals
• Fully accessible washrooms: on each floor including one with a lift
• Automated double door entries: in the main west and east lobby
• Guardrails: for safety around the exterior areas of the building that lead onto steep slopes
• Large accessible parking spaces: to accommodate vans with side ramps
• Nosing on exterior stairs: to delineate end of steps as well as tactile areas at the top of stairs, ramps and landing areas
• Ramps: to upper parking lot and stadium seating