Our beautiful school opened its doors in 2013 and since that time, we have expanded every year. We are very proud of our Comet Culture and look forward to working with our talented students and staff as we continue to evolve. We appreciate all that our parents/community do to support our growth.
We also value those who teach us about effective practices in high schools –how both personalization and connections are critical for student success. We’re confident that our initial ideas and structures will continue to evolve as they reflect:
- Personalizing | Designing classroom activities and assessments based on what we know about our learners.
- Connecting | Getting to know our students as learners then helping them learn across subjects and within the community.
- Thriving | Highlighting multiple stories of student success.
Comets, we are confident that you will continue to contribute to and engage in our school. We challenge you to think about your role as a:
- Learner – Finding out how you learn and seeking opportunities for support and challenge so that you can meet the requirements of the programs of study and achieve your goals.
- Leader – Engaging in curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
- Citizen – Demonstrating respect for yourself, others and our community.
We look forward to an exciting year two as we continue to build Robert Thirsk High School. Please stay connected through our school website or visit us at 8777 Nose Hill Drive NW to enjoy our city and mountain views as well.
School Name
RTHS is honoured to be named after acclaimed Canadian astronaut, and member of the Order of Canada, Robert Thirsk. Dr. Thirsk holds the Canadian record for the longest time spent in space, at 204 days. In May 2014 he was elected the 13th chancellor of the University of Calgary. The students and staff of RTHS have had the privilege of spending time with Dr. Thirsk during school visits and to hear him speak on numerous occasions, including Graduation ceremonies. In honour of Dr. Thirsk we have chosen a number of space-related references to represent our colours, teams, and mascot.
Robert Thirsk High School at a Glance
Personalizing, Connecting and Thriving
- Through our learning communities, students will be connected to a key adult advocate(s) throughout their high school years.
- Students will design learning plans to track their interests, successes and progress and develop their understanding of curricular outcomes.
- Students will be both challenged and supported in their learning.
- Students will participate in interdisciplinary study.
- Students will play a key role in assessment and participate in parent/ teacher conferences.
- Students will apply their learning as it relates to current issues and will work with experts.
- Students will experience multiple successes, complete high school and transition for continued learning.
Our School's Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation
We are committed to acknowledging and supporting the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 94 Calls to Action specific to education. Our school, along with all CBE schools, made a Truth and Reconciliation Commitment to Action, on June 21, we renewed our commitment.
View Our Truth and Reconciliation Commitment | 2025-2026
School Development Plan
Each year, our school prepares a development plan with input from teachers, school staff, students and parents. We review many sources of data, including report cards, provincial achievement test results and school surveys. Based on this information, we create our plan identifying targeted areas for growth. Our school development plan is not meant to represent all of the work that takes place in our school, but rather it focuses on specific areas for improvement.
View Our School Development Plan | 2024-2025
School Improvement Results Report
Our school also prepares a results plan, which looks at our previous school year. It shows our students’ achievement and progress in meeting the goals and outcomes as set out by the CBE and Alberta Education, outlines some of the highlights of our school development plan and gives an overview of our school. You can look on the CBE website for system-wide results.