WELCOME BACK ASSEMBLY PRINCIPAL’S ADDRESS

WELLINGTON HEIGHTS SECONDARY SCHOOL

September 16, 2026

Good morning, Wellington Heights students and staff, and welcome to the 2026-2027 school year!  My name is Mr. Bloch, and my pronouns are he and him.  I am delighted and honoured to serve for the seventh year as the Principal at WHSS, and I am confident that this year will truly be an incredible and exciting high school experience with all of our extracurricular activities, sports teams, and special events in full swing already.  I would also like to introduce our Vice Principal, Miss Eurig, in case you have not met her yet.  We are both looking forward to a new school year with you - ripe with opportunities for unique experiences, new friendships, and memorable learning activities both inside and outside of the classroom.

Last week in homerooms, your teachers reviewed with you our expectations of you, as outlined in the WHSS Student Handbook.  I have also emailed all students with a link to the handbook, and hard copies can be picked up in the main office.  In it are some clear policies about identity-based harm, electronic devices, vaping, washroom breaks, academic integrity, and attendance - among others.  Please take the time to read through this document in order to learn more about Wellington Heights and the high expectations that we have of our Wolverine students.  Our goals are to maximise student learning, to keep everyone safe, and to ensure a memorable high school experience for all.  Our academic goals this year are for every one of our students to pass all their courses and attend school regularly and punctually.  Specifically, our target for Grade 9 students is to earn 70% or higher in Math class and on the EQAO Math Assessment.  Our target for Grade 10 students is to earn 75% or higher in English class and on the EQAO Literacy Test.  I am confident that with effort, hard work, consistent attendance, and the support of our staff, every student has the ability to achieve these goals.

You will have heard on our morning announcements already that there is a host of opportunities awaiting our students outside of the classroom - from field hockey, to volleyball, to basketball, to Student Council, to Athletic Council, to LINK Crew, to Dungeons & Dragons Club, and the list goes on.  You can see our entire list of extracurricular activities posted on our school website, and I challenge every student to get involved.

At Wellington Heights, we are very fortunate to have such a caring, dedicated, and conscientious teaching staff, who have been working diligently and creatively to plan for your instruction and who do their utmost to provide our rural Wolverines with every opportunity that your urban counterparts might have.  Please give them your respect, attention, and best efforts as they often go above and beyond the requirements of their daily jobs for your benefit.  

Our Administrative Assistants and Guidance Staff have been working long hours to prepare for your arrival.  Our custodial staff has also been working diligently these past several weeks to get our school thoroughly cleaned to ensure our safety - and I am grateful for their efforts. 

Please show respect for our environmental award-winning school, our school grounds, and our local community by depositing all your waste in the garbage cans and your recyclable materials in the appropriate recycling containers.  Please be kind to our neighbours by staying off their property and away from their fences, by not littering, by using polite language, and by interacting respectfully with them as you pass by their homes every day to and from school.  These small but important actions help to strengthen the ties that bind us all together in our community, and these actions also protect and beautify the environment in which we learn, work, and live.

Upon arriving at school today, you may have noticed that we are proudly flying the Pride flag.  This flag is a symbol of our commitment to ensuring equity and respect for people of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and a reminder that everyone has basic human rights, including the right to feel safe and welcome in their school community.  We have a “for use by all” single-stall washroom available to all students in our Main Office, and we have a Gender Affirmation process, through the Main Office, for all students who change their usual names, legal names, and pronouns.  We also have a Multi-Faith Prayer Room just outside the Main Office that is available to all students for meditation.  

As your Principal, I welcome you to a new school year—a year not yet written, a blank page waiting for your courage, curiosity, and imagination.

Some of you arrive carrying confidence. Others may carry questions, worries, or the quiet hope that this year will be different.  Wherever you stand today, know this: you belong here.  You are more than grades, more than achievements, more than the mistakes you have made. You are becoming—and becoming is brave work.

This year, I challenge you to look beyond the easy answer and ask better questions.  Open your minds to ideas that stretch you and your hearts to people whose stories differ from your own.  Choose kindness, especially when it is inconvenient or when faced with disrespect.  Let your words build bridges, not walls.  Remember that success is not always a spotlight; sometimes it is simply showing up, trying again, or helping someone else rise.

There will be difficult days.  When they come, do not mistake a minor setback for a prison sentence.  A stumble is not the end of your journey; it is part of learning how to walk farther.  Seek help. Offer help. And help yourself by continuing to move forward.

Each of you carries a light—an ability, a dream, a perspective the world needs. It may be a small light in a small town, but it is also a vibrant light that has the ability to illuminate a dark room.  Our school is stronger because you are here. Together, we will create a community where effort matters, differences are respected, and every voice has room to be heard.

So step into this year with purpose.  Be curious.  Be courageous.  Be compassionate.  The future is not waiting for someone else to shape it.  It is waiting for you.

Welcome back, and let us begin.

Sincerely,

Mr. B. Bloch

Principal

W.H.S.S.