Station Stretch Secondary School first opened its doors in Richmond in 1975 as an alternative program of Richmond Senior Secondary School. It was initially housed in a small building on Westminster Highway with two teachers, one youth worker, and twenty-five students. The school’s purpose was to provide an educational opportunity for those students who needed a setting other than a neighborhood school in which to be successful. 

After two years on Westminster Highway, Station Stretch Secondary School underwent an expansion and moved to 5280 Minoru Boulevard in 1977. The site at 5280 Minoru Boulevard now houses four distinct and collaborative district programs for secondary-aged students (13-19) – Station Stretch, Horizons, Outreach and Hospital Homebound, and Streetview. The programs’ common purpose is to support the education of students who will benefit from an alternative setting to a traditional neighbourhood secondary school in order to meet success. We now have 10 teachers, 4 youth support workers, a social worker, an administrative assistant, a noon hour supervisor and close to 100 students. We also work with onsite clinical counsellors in a partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health.

Through the years, the program has worked with students who have been referred from their neighbourhood schools. The programs at Minoru site attempt to offer each of its students a highly personalized education. Besides academic support, we make certain that we get to know the students, their families, their community, and their unique strengths and stretches. Each staff member strives to connect with each of the students with an awareness of their unique profile and offers a positive direction for the future. Students come to realize that each staff member cares and is willing to offer support on a day-to-day basis. The mutual concern between staff and the student has allowed the programs to grow and develop into a respected educational program in the Richmond community.