5 S.S. Number 15

This austere, white brick, two-storey seat of learning occupied a large lot on the west side of Main Street south of the Baptist church and in front of the local cemetery, the last resting place of most of the village citizens.

Little change ever took place in the schoolhouse. Many students could claim they occupied the same seat, in one of the grades, as their father or mother.

The head schoolmarm was also a fixture. Miss Brodie retired in 1922 after a long career at S.S.15, to be followed by Miss Coulthard who guided the scholastic endeavors and morals of the village children for another 15 years.

Education was in its most unsophisticated form during the early part of the century. Many of the books and subject matter had undergone little change since the period of the first Public Schools in Ontario.

One great change came about in the '20s, after the election of 1923, when G. Howard Ferguson defeated E.C. Drury. His picture appeared on the flyleaf of school text books - page 1, the Union Jack; page 2, Ferguson; page 3, The Little Red Hen, that industrious fowl that demonstrated to children by her actions what was to be obtained by hard work and diligence.

The lessons given to children during the eight grades of early education were planned to give moral instruction, develop a socially acceptable citizen and give a generous sprinkling of the accomplishments of those who had worked hard and applied themselves with diligence to every task.

Temperature and light control would be part of the classroom of the future. In winter, heat belched from the furnace in the basement. It was either too hot or too cold, and on cold mornings it would take about two hours before the inkwells would thaw out.

In case it is only a memory, each student had a dip pen and ink. The ink had a habit of splashing on students for several seats in every direction during lesson periods, when big circles continued to little circles and on to the letters of the alphabet. This subject and exercise were supposed to develop beautiful penmanship in every student.

The subject of hygiene was taught at least one period a week and was intended to instruct the children in methods of good grooming, the benefits of cleanliness in all things, and the dire effects of living in disease-prone situations. But at recess everyone rushed for the pump and drank from the same cup, and hand washing was not always convenient if the roller towel was nearing the weekly laundry stage.

School was fun and most people as they grow older have many memories of the few years they spent in the classroom. There were always annual events and happenings that overshadow the disagreeable events of education.

The school was usually closed for the great day of the fall fair. The teacher's convention usually followed for two days, which meant a three-day holiday. The preparation for the fall fair was time consuming and frequently distracted from the daily routine of education. Weeds had to be collected, pressed and mounted - all of the 27 noxious varieties - as a project. The school could be awarded the prize for best display.

The annual Christmas concert was a major event in every school. Mothers and fathers always expected the dramatic skills of the teacher to bring forth the ultimate in student musical abilities, the oratorical talents of the future prime minister and the acting adroitness of budding thespians. These concerts had their moments: the year the makeshift curtain became entangled with the chorusline and destroyed a great performance; or the time the kid who had rehearsed the poem about the night before Christmas for six weeks and knew every line, every movement and every expression, became shy on the big day and forgot the whole thing.

S.S. No. 15 always had a Santa Claus. Each year Tommy Rushby would stop shoeing horses early in the afternoon and get dressed in the red Santa outfit and come ho-hoing, with an English accent, through the schoolroom window. Everyone knew the school concert Santa was make-believe and the real one would come on Christmas Eve.

Another special occasion was Feb. 14, when the Valentine mail box would be at the front of the room. Many of the valentines had terrible poems and would be signed by "guess who".

On the last day of school everyone ( except the entrance class, who were too busy writing exams at the Continuation School) received report cards and attended the school picnic. I sometimes wonder why we didn't spend the summer recovering from some form of food poisoning. There was no refrigeration for the food and frequently the last day of June was a real hot one.

There are many stories and a multitude of memories about the old two-roomed school, some best forgotten. Most people recall their eight years in public school as a period of adventure, disappointment, achievement and in some cases even the forming of lifelong friendships.

Today's standards decry the type of education inflicted on the students of former generations. In retrospect, the old school graduated some solid citizens. Several went on to fame in their pursuits, some received acclaim for their deeds in time of war, and many excelled in their chosen vocations. Maybe if nothing else was gained from education of yesteryear, most of us applied the doctrine of hard work and diligence, as embraced by the Little Red Hen, and accomplished much in this life.
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