Sydney Academy - History - The Sixth Building - 1980s and 1990s

1980s and 1990s

In September 1985, Sydney Academy's first modern Canadian football team was established, playing its first game against its rival, Riverview High School at the Membertou field. Only one year after being formed, the football team won first place in the Gallivan Bowl.

In 1987, another team was born, when male cheerleading began.

In January 1987, Sydney Academy became only the second public school in this province to be accredited as an IB school by the International Baccalaureate Organization of Geneva, Switzerland.

In 1989, Sydney Academy graduated its first French Immersion class.

In 1991, Sydney Academy celebrated 150 years by holding an all-years reunion.

During the 1998-1999, the Academy debating team won first place in three different tournaments: the Canadian High School Championship held at McGill University, the Queens University High School Nationals, and the Nova Scotia Provincial Championships. The team also took home the prize for top speaker in the latter two tournaments. In 2011, the debating team also placed first in the Provincial Debating Championships.

In recent years, the school has experienced a lag in numbers, as graduates emigrate and families from Cape Breton move to other parts of Canada in search of employment.