Welcome to Douglas Harkness School
Our goal is to create a learning community that provides personalized learning experiences for our students. We believe that parents are partners in the education of their children and that it is only through working together that we will provide the best opportunities for our students. At Douglas Harkness, we believe that diversity is our superpower. We welcome all of our students to school this year and look forward to another year of growing and learning together!
~ Douglas Harkness School Staff
School Mission
Our mission at Douglas Harkness School is to foster a school culture that honors diversity and encourages students to become lifelong learners and contributing members of society.
School Motto
#HarknessHasHeart
Our School's Three Pillars
In meeting the needs of each individual student, school expectations emphasize socially responsible behaviours that include respect for the rights and well‐being of others, our community, and our selves. Discussions with children will center on three pillars.
- Take Care of Yourself
- Take Care of Others
- Take care of Our Place, Our School and Our Land
Who Was Douglas Harkness?
Douglas Harkness School was named after Douglas Scott Harkness who was born in Toronto on March 29, 1903 and moved to Calgary in 1929. He graduated from the University of Alberta, then farmed and taught school in the vicinity of Red Deer. Mr Harkness taught at Crescent Heights High School until 1939. He had distinguished military career and in 1943 was awarded the George medal for "courage, gallantry and devotion to a duty of a high order."
In 1945, Mr. Harkness was elected to the House of Commons for the constituency of Calgary East. He continued his public service in the Departments of Northern Affairs, National Resources and Agriculture until his retirement in 1963. Mr. Harkness lived in Calgary until his death in 1999.
Douglas Harkness Has Heart
- Whole School "Harkness Hour" collaborative response twice a week, focusing on literacy, math, and well-being outcomes
- A focus on growing in spirit, heart, body and mind guided by the Holistic Lifelong Learning Framework
- Literacy instruction guided by the CBE Literacy Framework
- Mathematics instruction guided by the CBE Numeracy Framework
- Student and Staff Well-Being guided by the CBE Well-Being Framework
- APPLE School with a dedicated School Health Facilitator who facilitates programing that targets all areas of the comprehensive school health model
- Music and performing arts program with dedicated music specialist
- Daily physical education
- Vibrant Learning Commons
- A dedicated and well stocked maker space that encourages learning through play with loose parts
- Chromebooks, iMacs, and the use of Google Suite
- A Community Closet that provides warm clothing to families in need of assistance
- A daily Breakfast Clubs of Canada breakfast program
- Regular teacher tweets from classrooms and from @DHarknessCBE as well as “DHS Weekly” email updates
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.