Westpark Middle School - Red Deer, Alberta

Santannah J.

THE STUDENTS. are too judgemental. The bathrooms are dirty, and garbage is insane. If you have your locker upstairs, all your classes r downstairs, and if your locker is downstairs its all upstairs. MY LEGS HURT. Too many impatient people as well. Often people pick on others for the SMALLEST things ever. You get easy suspension over just getting water on someone by accident, if you do something wrong, everyone gets mad at you specifically. The teachers are nice, but usually send you to the office no matter how much you try to explain. LOTS OF BULLYING AS WELL. The teachers dont do anything about it and just get mad at you. Loads of homework, its a struggle to keep up if you miss a day. Like seriously.

Kitchen K.

It’s a pretty good school, like the teachers are nice. But they make such a big deal out of small things and big things are just tucked away and not dealt with properly. Despite the staff being nice, they always assume the worst about you. Whenever you do anything they think you’re doing something wrong. The only thing is that their school is disgusting. There are stain everywhere on the floor in the mods and it’s probably a health hazard at this point. The school also has a lot of very rude kids who make you feel unwanted and very uncomfortable at this school. You have limited freedom in this place and they assume the worst about you all the time. Other than that it’s a pretty nice place.

Jace H.

I'm just a student that hates this school it looks good on the outside but on the inside there's bad teachers (some exceptions) dirty bathrooms and to many people send ur kid somewhere else (edit) the school cares more abt people giving others friendly hugs piggy backs and friendly actions then they do physical fight I watched 2 kids get an in school suspension for giving a harmless piggy back. And the amount of fights that happen here is absurd this includes both verbal altercation and physical this school has 2.4 stars for a reason most of the teachers are nice but other than that there's not alot to say that is positive abt this school

Madeline P.

Both my nieces were bullied here and teachers did nothing to stop it or push it off as kids being kids. Would not recommend to send your kids here.

Austin H.

This school deserves a -5. I have never known of a grown adult ( THE PRINCIPAL ) saying to a kid that his friends don’t even like him. What kinda leadership is this. DESERVES TO BE REPORTED. Do not recommend at all.
Students are not punished for bullying other children. Staff does absolutely nothing. The social media post are fake. Not fun at all. I went to this school a long long time ago it was great. And now I have children that I know who go here and are treated like this and that. Something serious needs to be done about it all.

Galen N.

My tenure at West Park Middle School was nothing short of a harrowing journey through a landscape of fear, incompetence, filth, injustice, and rampant violence. This review serves as both a cautionary tale and a call to action for anyone considering entrusting their child's education to this abysmal institution. Brace yourself for a detailed exploration of the horrors I endured during my time at West Park Middle School. Let's commence with the haunting reality of the bullying epidemic that ravages the corridors of West Park. It's as though the very essence of cruelty has taken root within the student body, manifesting in relentless attacks and unprovoked violence against unsuspecting victims, myself included. Day after day, I found myself subjected to brutal assaults and verbal abuse, with no discernible cause or justification. The culture of fear and intimidation fostered by this unchecked aggression made every moment on campus a living nightmare, with the specter of violence lurking around every corner. But the torment did not cease at the hands of my peers; it extended into the realm of education itself, where the incompetence of the teaching staff cast a dark shadow over the pursuit of knowledge. The educators at West Park Middle School are a sorry excuse for mentors, more concerned with maintaining order than fostering intellectual growth. Their lackluster approach to instruction leaves students adrift in a sea of confusion and apathy, devoid of the guidance and support necessary to thrive academically. It is a disheartening reality that so many young minds are left to wither and stagnate under the care of these negligent educators. And yet, the inadequacies of the teaching staff pale in comparison to the deplorable conditions that plague the physical environment of West Park Middle School. The facilities are a testament to neglect, with litter strewn about the hallways, bathrooms reeking of decay, and classrooms in a perpetual state of disrepair. It is a disgrace that students are expected to learn and grow in such squalid surroundings, where basic hygiene and maintenance are treated as afterthoughts rather than priorities. Adding insult to injury are the arbitrary and unjust suspensions that are handed down by the administration, further exacerbating the sense of injustice that pervades the school community. Minor infractions are met with disproportionately harsh punishments, while more serious offenses are swept under the rug or ignored altogether. It is a system built on favoritism and inequality, where the most vulnerable students are unfairly targeted and marginalized at every turn. But perhaps most distressing of all is the insidious presence of racism and gang violence that casts a dark shadow over the entire school. Minority students like myself are subjected to discrimination and prejudice on a daily basis, with racial slurs and epithets hurled at us with impunity. Meanwhile, gangs roam the halls unchecked, spreading fear and chaos wherever they go. Death threats are commonplace, and students live in constant fear for their safety and well-being. In conclusion, West Park Middle School is a veritable cauldron of chaos and neglect, where bullying, incompetent teaching, filthy conditions, unfair suspensions, racial prejudice, and gang violence converge to create a toxic environment that is wholly unsuitable for learning. As a former student, I implore parents and educators alike to heed this warning and seek alternatives to West Park Middle School for the betterment of our children's futures.

Bodhi D. S.

As a student in grade 8 that has been going here since gardening 6 i am going to give you full review on every aspect of the school.

Chromebooks/brightspace:
WHO EVER MADE US USE BRIGHTSPACE IS THE MOST ANNOYING PERSON EVER. IT MAKES USING THE TECHNOLOGY 10x HARDER THAN IT SHOULD BE. I WANT TO GO BACK TO USING GOOGLE CLASSROOM. There is a 1-1 chromebooks to student ratio which means we use technology ALOT. And using that comes with responsibility. When i did something “irresponsible” i got my account put on penalty box mode FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR. LIKE HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET MY WORK DONE. MY GRADES ARE GETTING LOW BECAUSE I CANT ACCESS ANYTHING ON THE CHROMEBOOKS.

Feces on the wall/foundation students:
With no disrespect to anyone, i have been attacked by the special needs students multiple times and i dont like that. There has also allegedly been a situation where there was FECAL MATTER SMEARED ON THE WALL BY ONE. That is disgusting. In my opinion there should be a separate school for that type of behaviour. Again no disrespect to the foundation students.

The Teaching:
The teachers at this school are really nice and helpful most of the time. There are many places where you can work quietly.

Grading / work
A really good thing that they made it so 85% is an A (we use letter grades) instead of a 90% like it was last year. I assume the work we do is no harder than any other school in red deer.

Sports academy/ phys ed system:
As a sports academy student, the program has been phenomenal. The variety of stuff we do is really fun and the sports academy teachers are great too. In phys ed (which i dont have this year) students have to go outside when it is freezing 🥶. And you will have to prepare to go outside for classes such as rec ed and phys ed. The indoor activity’s are great and they even have ping pong tables to use when its cold. There is alot to do in a indoor recess but not alot when we go outdoors. They definitely lack supervision outside and it is painful to stand outside for 20 mins in -30 weather.

Violence/ drugs.
I am happy to say i dont see and kids doing any drugs on campus. However there have been kids vaping outside. Probably happens at every school. On the other hand, THE FIGHTS ARE CRAZY it happens way way to much by usually the same kids. Not going to name names. I have been body checked in the hallway for no reason. And thrown in the sink once.

The school itself: The school design is really weird. And the mod hallways extend soo long that they just had to install new bathrooms because they were always too busy. There is one section of the school that receives so much traffic between breaks and my locker is in THE MIDDLE OF IT. it is so hard to get what i need from my locker lol. They did not design the school for that much kids.

Bullying: i have seen alot of bullying that the teachers don’t do anything about. And was bullied a bit in grade 6. There is also cyber bullying and allegedly alot of explicit photos are shared online.

Interventions :
LIKE WHAT THE HECK IN INTERVENTIONS. it is the stupidest idea ever and its just another block of my day wasted. We have 7 blocks in one day each being 45 mins.

Options:
YOU DO NOT GET TO CHOOSE YOUR OPTIONS IT A LIE. they make you choose like 12 options and you dont even get what you want. Some of the options are great whilst some are not. There was even a skateboarding option that i got!? At least they have a music room, shop, foods room and a rec ed room which is pretty cool in my opinion.

HOMEWORK: wow the school is pretty good at not giving you homework the only homework you usually get is when you do not complete your work in class.

HOUSEPOINTS SYSTEM: so there is this silly system at my school like harry potter where you get house points for dressing up or winning house comps etc. and guess what the prize is for winning at the end of the year…… a popsicle. And the other houses get one too which make 0 sense.

Suspensions: i have unfortunately been suspended multiple time and some where some where completely unfair. 3 stars.

Virginia A.

Terrible school system, my son missed a field trip they would not allow him to go with the rest of the kids because my mother and I have troubles navigating the parent portal. Even though when they called we gave verbal consent. Everything has to be done on the computer now a days. What ever happened to a persons word being worth somthing. This school is terrible! T
Hey put allot of money into the building but not enough on the educators, My kids won’t be attending any of red deer public schools next year!