J.N. Burnett Secondary School

Attended here from 2017-2019... Cafe is overpriced and some admin/teachers think I'm mentally challenged with an attention complex. Overall experience was good though.

I liked the brownies and muffins the caf makes. Also the chem teacher is really good. I would go to this school solely because of the brownies.

In most cases I would regard Burnett Secondary very highly, but after dealing with several of the administrative staff here, my perspective has changed. Burnett is a high performing school in an affluent part of Richmond with a laser focus on academics. It tops most public schools in the province, and even some private schools in subjects like math and science. The student community here is very divided between the international students (colloquially called FOB's) and students accustomed to the Canadian way of life. Because of the high income demographics coupled with low crime rates, the school is very safe with little violence and minimum drug presence. The quality of the teachers varies highly, ranging from a phenomenal Chemistry teacher (not naming any names) to some exceptionally lazy and incompetent teachers in other departments. But this is to be expected, as you will encounter the good, bad, and ugly teachers in any school you choose to attend. My main issue arises not with the teachers, the students, or the school itself but rather with the administrative staff. On one occasion, I went to the office to call my parents because I wasn't feeling well, and the attitude they gave me was unreasonable and unprofessional. If a student is not feeling well and wants to call their parents, is it really a good idea to act fed up with them?! Another time, I got a cut on my finger from a computer fan which I was using for a school project. I went to the office to ask for a bandaid and I felt as if I was being interrogated. They asked me where the cut was, why I needed a cut (because it looked like it wasn't bleeding) and the office lady generally gave me a hard time about it. Pro tip to the office staff, but if a student asks for a bandaid, don't ask them 50 questions and give them a hard time, just give a **** bandaid to them for heaven's sake! This has happened on other occasions as well, such as when requesting a bandaid for a paper cut or other minor injury. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think it costs the school district a fortune every time they give one out to the students. This nuisance has gotten to the point where I'll just live with the cut or put toilet paper around it just so I don't have to deal with the incompetent office staff. My next complaint is about the principal. I know that posting this review might put me under investigation by the school/school board, but there's free speech and all that so I'm just gonna voice my opinion here. The current principal at this school is very difficult to deal with, at least in my experience. Contrarily, the previous one we had was chill, understanding, and had a great attitude towards the students. The current principal is rude, condescending, and often presents herself in a passive aggressive (siding more on aggressive) tone when dealing with a bad situation. I had to come in once to ask about BLT because I was late signing up. I completely own up to the mistake and yes, I admit it was my fault for not paying attention to the emails. However, this doesn't give the principal any excuse to act in such a condescending and rude manner toward me and my friend who was with me. YOU are supposed to be the role model, YOU are the figure head of our school so if there is a problem, deal with it in a calm and professional way. There have been several times that I have had to deal with the principal or office staff or principal and they have all been rude or condescending to me, even though I did nothing to instigate it. I get it, we're all human and get upset sometimes. But does this really warrant an excuse to constantly act this way toward the students?! And it's not just me who has felt this way about the admin. Many of my friends in their dealing with certain school staff have experienced something similar and also believe that some of the staff are indeed not fit for the job. So for any parents reading this, beware of the front desk staff here and the principal; they can be a real challenge to deal with. SD38 can track me down but they can't silence me.

Great school and great teachers.

Burnett is catering. End of story.