HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1954-07-28, Page 19Wednesday, July £8, 1MK
Page Ninetem
’HI
out
WM. ARGO
WHERE QUALITY COUNTS
that we were able to gather
of the history of the Lower
school.
First Trustees
January 13, 1875, T. G. Jack-
WELCOME HOME
* " ......
$625,000 High School
Culminates H.S. History
VISITORS!
I
WE HOPE YOU’LL
ENJOY YOUR STAY AT
WINGHAM’Si ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATIONS
Thomson Appliances
While there had been much talk of
the necessity of a high school in the
town of Wingham, it was pot until
1906 that anything concrete was done.
A board was elected, Dr, A. J. Ir
win being the public school represen
tative on the board and named as
chairman, an honor bestowed on him
because of his activity in securing
the high school. Other members of
this body were Dudley Holmes, secre
tary; Dr, P. Macdon'ald, Dr. J. P,
Kennedy, John Wilson, V.S,, J. A.
Morton, C. P. Smith and W. F. Van
Stone.
Several sites were suggested and it
was’ finally decided that the most
suitable would be the
on the east side of Carling Street,
south of John, and a portipn of Wm.
Armour’s farm east of these lots.
The specifications for the new
school were for a three-storey brick
biulding 80x48 feet with front and
side entrance, two large classrooms,
teachers’ room, waiting room, hall and
cloak room on the first floor; three
classrooms on the second floor and
five vacant lots
I
Welcome Back
WINGHAM
Old Timers!
For The Best In
Dry, Cleaning
And Dyeing
We Have The Latest
WE ALSO FEATURE THE
HIGHEST QUALITY
in
MADE-TO-MEASURE
Clothing
Made up of Hobberlin’s Special
PRE-SHRUNK MATERIALS
TEMPLEMAN
an assembly ypom on the third. The
basement was to house boiler room
and playrooms and the new school
was expected to accommodate 150
pupils.
An estimate for furnishings for the
building was $15,000 and a by-law was
passed for the issuing of debentures
to this amount to cover a period of
30 years. *
High school pupils took over.three
rooms in the public school in the fall
of 1906. This enabled the high school
to receive its grants for the latter
part of the year.
The first principal was John A. Tay
lor, who came to Wingham from the
Dutton High School, He remained here
until 1909, at which time he was ap
pointed school inspector for St. Thom-
mas and part of Elgin County. The
other teachers were James G. Work
man or Orangeville, mathematics
teacher, and MiSS F, B. Ketcheson, of
Toronto, teacher of moderns and Eng
lish. John C. Smith was hired at the”
beginning of 1907 as classical master.
In 1906 there were 112 students' en
rolled at the opening of the term
with more expected. The fee was set
at $6,00, $8,00 and $10.00, graded ac
cording to the class the pupil was in
regardless of whether the student
was from Huron County or not.
The new school was officially open-
The
by
JOHN A, TAYLOR
Lower Wingham School
Formerly Baptist Chapel
ed the last day of August, 1907.
formalities were presided over
John Wilson, V.S., chairman.
First Honors
The students of the school set
immediately to bring distinction to
the new Wingham school. William
Argo, 16 years of age, won the Blake
Scholarships for .1907, the opening
year of Wingham High School. He was
first in the province in science, botany,
zoology and chemistry. He passed
part one and part two senior, leaving
with honors in chemistry, zoology,
botany and science, third class honors
in English and was third in first class
honors in history, Winning the First
Edward Blake Scholarship in science,
$168 and the Second Edward Blake
Scholarship in science, $138. He was
also 13th in the province for general
proficiency.
District School
In 1948 the status of the school
was changed to include the surround
ing municipalities in a high school
district. Temporary rooms were added
with the purchase of an H-hut from
the Port Albert RAF station, The ad
ditional space was needed to take care
of the increase in enrolment as well
as the establishment of shop work and
home economics classes.
Enrolment has steadily increased
from 155 in 1946 to 380 in 1954. Of
these, 290 arrive at the school daily
by bus and the remaining 90 attend
from the town itself.
In April of this year work was
commenced on the construction of a
completely new district high school
building which will total 20 rooms in
all and will provide the very latest
facilities for the broadest possible
kind of secondary school education.
With the current increase in school
age population it is anticipated that
the attendance is likely to reach 500
within a few years. W. Stanley Hall,
has been principal of the school for
the past 20 years. ,
As this issue of The Advance-Times
is being prepared for the press plans
are under way to include the laying
of the corner stone at the new school
in connection with the 75th Anniver- j
sary celebrations. I
The late Thos. J. McLean, who will
be well remembered as the author of
an extensive local history published
in The Advanee-Timcs in 1935, also
wrote an article on his school days
in Lower Wingham School, now S.S.
No. 11, Turnberry. It is from this ac
count
much
Town
On
son called a public meeting of the
ratepayers regarding the advisability
of starting a school in Lower Wing
ham. Joseph Flack was chosen chair
man and Archibald Fisher secretary.
The first trustees were Archibald
Fisher, for three years; Edward Far
ley, two years and Richard Rankin,
one year.
On January 20th a special meeting
was held and the trustees gave a re
port on the site they had chosen for
the school. They recommended two
vacant lots, on which to erect a build
ing, or the purchase of what was
known as the Baptist Chapel.
The chapel was bought for $300,
payable in eight months, with plat- *
form, stove and stovepipes, along with ■
side forms running around the in
terior of the chapel, James and Jack
son, founders, secured a contract for
castings for seats at $60 and Thomas
and Charles Elliott agreed to do the
wood work for $80 and $4.00 for extras.
The chapel was vacated by the Bap
tists on January 20th, 1875 and school
opened in February 15th of the same
year. Wm. Mooney was the first
teacher hired, at a salary of $400 per
year. He held a third class certificate.
Fear of Irisliman
Mr. McLean’s account of his first
day at school is as follows:
“I did not start till the first of
April and what a day! Starting to
school is a great event in everyone’s
life and a day to be remembered. In
my case — I had not been long !b
school (having been taken they® bjr
an older member of the family) when
for some reason, I suppose not obey*
ing rules, I was spoken to rather
sharply by the Irishman teacher, Wbl
Mooney. He threw fear into me at
once and I beat a hasty exit for home,
between the stove and partition, bawl
ing my head off. It was a time before
I could be persuaded to return but
eventually did so and became' ac
customed to rules and regulations/’
Mr. Mooney was remembered as art
eccentric character. He had one bad
eye Sind because of this the older
pupils put a. great deal over him. He
often referred to the girls, when they
gathered together in groups as being
“like a parcel of young pigs”. He re
signed in December, the students be
ing too much for him.
Miss Fisher Engaged
In December 1875, the trustees hired
Miss Mary McIntosh Fisher (later
Mrs. Alexander who lived in Victoria,
B.C.), and a daughter of Archibald
Fisher, at a salary of $325 per year.
Of Miss Fisher, Mr. McLean wrote,
"How well I remember Miss Fisher!
I thought she was grand — when she
let me alone but when I offended the
rules she made me stand on the plat
form with my face close up in the
corner for half an hour at a time.”
There was a large attendance at
the school and after entering her
second term at an increase of $25
she asked for an assistant. The trus
tees considered they were not able to
pay for one.
Heated by Stove
The boys split the wood and piled
it for winter. The school was 40 feet
square with a 20-foot ceiling and it
took a lot of splitting for one Win
ter's burning.
(Please turn to page 20)
REMEMBER?
graduate of Wingham HighA
School in 1907, William Argo won two
Edward Blake Scholarships. .One of
the most outstanding students to at
tend the local high school, he was
later 1st Lieut, of the Chemical War
fare Service of America Expeditionary
Force. He died in 1918 at the age of
27 years.
Wing ham High School
Ford cars have come a long way since the
days of the Model T and Huron Motors is
proud to have played a part in their history.
Serving Wingham since 1937, with the ex
ception of a period during the Second World
War when the proprietor closed up to serve
in the Canadian Army, we have always en
deavoured to give the value and service for
which members of the Ford organization
are famous.
A. D. MacWilliam and staff extend a hearty
welcome to old friends on the occasion of
Wingham’s 75th Anniversary.
HURON MOTORS
A. D. MacWilliam