HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-12-11, Page 9128TH YEAR -50
SECOND SECTION
The Victoria School open house Monday night resulted in a
reunion of°old classmates and teachers from an era of the
school's history that ended with the, destruction of the
building last fall. Remembering their teaching days are
(from left) Margaret Shackleton, presents vice principal r
Helen Videan, Esther Hume and Harry Shackleton, past
principal. (staff -photo) ,•
While about 500 people were
admiring the newest and
most modern educational
facilities in Goderich Monday
night., .four persons were
' recalling a teaching era in the
town that disappeared with
the old wing _of Victoria
School last.fa I1.
The school held an open
a house on Monday to allow
parents to vrtw the new wing
constructed this year but the
event attracted a group. of
teachers that collectively
represent about a century of
teaching in Gbderich•, mbs.t of
it in the odd Victoria School.
Miss Esther Hurne diAipped
into the -open house tO ha\Va.-
look at the new kindergarten
room that is one of 'the
'highlights of the new wing.
Miss Hume said the new
facility " was impressive.
adding that she wandered
what it would he like to teach
the little children • in
surroundings like this.
Her curiosity stemmed
from her own experience in
_teaching the first , year
Students., She spent 35 years
at' the head of kindergarten
classes in ,,Goderich and
estimates she prepared about
'•0'00 students for .Grade One
classes. She, began —her
'teaching in Goderich in 1927
and after teaching two
generations of preschoolers,
she put away her pencils and
glue in 1962.
Miss Hume recalls that she
• was one of the only teachers
in the.oldVictoria school that
didn't rotate from class to -
class: She said that most
•,:teachers, .found themselves
• teaching any grade from one
to eight, hut she spent- her
entire .career working with
kindergarten children.
"I had the ,.room in the old
wing with the big bay w indpw
while I was here," said Miss'
Hume. "There -were many
years when we were teachirig
50 children a day in that
room." •
Miss Hume was well known
in Goderich when she began
teaching because of •hor
father. Mr. J. I. Hume: Mr.
Iluriie was the.principal of the
Goderich Collegiate Institute
from 1,911 to 1934, ,One of his
students, Harry 'Shackleton.
visited Victoria School for the
;open house and immediately
met Miss Hume who was a
.clan^senate of his in his school
days and who taught with him
in Victoria School for many
years.
While •,lMiss Hurn' was '
teaching five year olds how to
draw, Mr. Shackleton was
n .,anaging Victoria School
from the principal's office.
He began teaching in
Goderich at the old Central
School, now the Huron County
]Museum, and was principal •
there from, .1935 to :.1947.. He
left Central to become'
princiral of Victoria School in
1948 wh'n :the. school was
enlarged with the addition of
what is nOw the old wing of
the school. He remained in
Victoria School . until his
retirement in 1962.
Another of Mr: Hume's
students attended the open
house for •nostalgic purposes,
Mrs. ' Margaret Shackleton
was a student at the
Collegiate when. Mr. flame
• Miss" Esther Hume admires some of the work done by klpdergarten classes attending
school in the new Wing at, Victoria. Miss Hime was especially interested in the kin-
dergarten room since she taught the same class at Victoria from 1927 until her retirement
in 1962. (staff -photo) ..,
Tr
.was principal there, and she.
continued her education to
onie day becoming 'a, teacher
herself.
She 'began her career- in
Goderich in the old Central
School in 1938 -and in 1948 was
moved to Victoria School
after it had been expanded.
Sh'e taught at Victoria School
until 1960,•handling all grades
from. two upto eight.
The reunion was 'rounded
out when one of Mr.
Shacklet.on's, students,- Miss
Helen • Videan, now vice-
principal of Victoria -School,
joined in 'the conversation,
Miss Videan-had the privilege
of being taught by both Mr.
Shackleton and• Mr: Hurne
before, hq coming. a teacher
herself.
Mr. 'Shackleton reealled-
Mi.ss Videan as an ,out-
standing student, winning the,
Robert Park Memorial
Award `"fo'r scholastic
achievement while a student
at the Central School.
Miss Videan began her
,
teaching career inf, Goderich
at the Central -School in 1944.
She,switched to Victoria when
the new wing ,Mas 'built and
Central was c los•ed,
.The four teachers spent
much of their", evening,
together chatting about their
careers. All agreed that if
they had their lives 'to live
over, -again. they would still
teach school.
Mrs. Shackleton remarked
that it was an unusual' ex
perience to teach the children
of the students they had in
their classes at the beginning
of their careers, •
Miss Huhu agreed, but said
that the `teachers need not
worry ,shout teaching two
generations. It is- when they
begin to get the grand-'
children • of their early
students in their classes -that
it niay he `time to retire.
Prior to the demolition of
the original (1910) Victoria
School, that wing was opened
to the public for • viewing,
i
reminiscing and'the renewing
of, acquaintances from years
gone by, •
Although the, heating
system had already been
removed by that time, ,there
was evident the warmth of
sociability and.. nostalgia as
former staff' ?members.,
students, hoard and ad-
ministrative personnel and
interested persons from the
cornmuriity gathered to share
remembrances -of` their"years
at Victoria, '
Officially hosting the event,
in addition to Mr. D.
O'Brien, present principal of
the school and Miss Helen
Videan, vice principal, were
Mr, Barry M; Shackleton, a
former principal, and Miss
Esther Hume who was kin-
dergarten directress for
many years at Victoria
School.
Those attending they fun-
ction included former prin-
cipals M. 1 , Snider of
Wilford and Dr, 'Wm. K.
'1 homson,of Ottawa: Mr. Glen
Gardiner of Toronto, a for-
mer inspector with the Huron
County Board: -as well as
other fr•Wnds from Kitchener,,,
Burlington, St. Catharines,
Stratford, Ailsa Craig, New
Hamburg and various points
in Brucc and Huron'Count les.
- Three members of the
former ' Home, and School
Association; ,Mrs: R. Cornish,
Mrs, W. I)ockstader• and Mrs.'
C. 'Worselt, very graciously
prepared and served refresh-
ments during the afternoon.
Vi toric School principal Don O'Brien (left) chats with past prin'Cipar Harry Shackleton
who was hea,d master of the school,when the last addition was constructed in 1950. The
plaque was installed,at theschool when the addition, now the old wing, was opened in 1950.
(staff -photo)
•
Victoria School teacher Ron Ritchie (left) was proud to
ctisplay the not Tacit ties at the school• to members of his
family, sister Barbara Machan, behind Ron, Dale Ritchie.
his mother; Sue Ritchie, his ,sis..ter and Craig Ritchie,, his
son. (staff -photo).
</r ls�3f w ! Vii ' "45 G �
Mrs. ('orinne
Victoria open
thrnselves and
King's Grade One class couldn't make it -.o the
house so they made life size self portraits of
placed them in their seats in their''
clafisroom. Admiring the work of the st'udelits are, ttr
left) Pane Roney, a grade 4 s,tudent, lan'MacKItrtror a
grade one student and preschooler Colin iViacKlnnon. '
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