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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. ' ,. ..,..:.2Y*VA. Ifirl lir-4 4�wr,+k axi,^,C!'- .47%. «'9 •` V•, r.,:R