Lack of school creates back-to-school challenges

The first day of school in September 1917 may have been chaotic. You see, there was no school. The building where the Creemore students attended in the spring had been torn down. A new one was being built but was far from completed. The classes were housed all over town. Some were in a building across from the Presbyterian church, some were in houses on Collingwood Street and Caroline Street, some were in the room at the back of the Methodist (now United) Church and others were in the Gospel Hall that is now a house on the south end of Mill Street.
The need for a new school had become apparent for some time. The one in use was built in 1881 was modern for its time  but now the needs of the community were greater. Classes beyond grade 8 were becoming more popular and room was needed for their classes. As well, the building was not meeting the standards of the time. As early as 1904 the sanitary inspector found the outhouses in an unsanitary condition. The classrooms were overcrowded. Accommodation for some high school classes had to be found in a private home. The desires of the community were backed up by an inspector’s visit who found the school was not conducted following regulations. As well the school was not heated well in winter. A 1916  letter to the editor in the Creemore Star discussed the problem. “…the vast majority of mothers in Creemore dread the approach of winter because they know their children will pass so many uncomfortable hours in the old school.”
The school board members seemed willing to get a new and better school. The board discussed the pros and cons of putting on an addition to the current school or to build a new one. The decision to build a new school prevailed. A site for the new school was chosen on Wellington Street across from the Baptist Church. One trustee didn’t agree with that choice enumerating several objections: low ground and the noise from Hisey’s Mill. However, The Board requested the Council to issue $10,000 worth of debentures which Council did willingly. What followed was a “hot” meeting with certain citizens declaring that Creemore citizens would not want to pay the extra taxes generated by a new school.
That was in 1912. Whatever happened in the interval between 1912 and 1916 it was reported that the Board was giving considerations to a new school. An application was made to the Village of Creemore for $16,000 to be raised by 30-year debentures. It wasn’t until almost a year later that the tender of Joseph Akitt for $17,940 was accepted for the construction of a new school. Things happened quickly then. The footing were completed by the beginning of May, 1917. The old school was torn down and the pupils were moved to makeshift quarters.
By the end of 1917 just a few jobs remained to be completed in the new school. The coal was still outside covered with snow and had to be moved inside. The outhouses from the old school were sold for $5 each and the ground leveled over the holes. Finally the sale of the old school furnishings was slated for the end of January.
The school was a tribute to the School Board and the people of Creemore. While not of use now in 2020 it stands there as solid as a rock, a building that housed several generations of school children.
The following is a description of the official opening taken from an enthusiastic report on the Creemore Star..
“The event passed off with a zest that speaks well for the coming prosperity of its workings. The one hundred pupils and thirty-two high school pupils will be given the chance of success  due to the new building and equipment.
“The school house contains six classrooms, two halls, two teachers’ rooms as well as two playrooms in the basement. The rooms are all equipped with slate blackboards, which are not only a convenience but a hygienic necessity as far as the children’s eyes are concerned. The spacious halls provide excellent opportunity for orderly admitting and dismissing of the pupils. In the schoolhouse as everywhere, health is the first consideration. This is illustrated by the two playrooms in the basement in which children can combine fun with comfort in bad weather. Again the fact is illustrated by the sanitary drinking fountains throughout the building and once again in the splendid ventilation system in which a continuous current of foul air passes out. The steam heating system is easily regulated as economically as any could be and is meeting the requirements of the building wonderfully.
“A glance of the outside of the building forms the ‘fine’ of our picture. It presents a main building 75 feet by 38 feet, having to the north and forming the front, a wing 40 by 25 feet, on each side of which is a porch 10 by 15 feet. This is topped off by a bell tower.”
The bell in the tower graced the top of the previous school and the money to pay for it had been raised by the local people. And of course, now, it graces the hall of our current school.
Inspector Isaac Day was given the honour of delivering the opening address. He had been the first principal when the 1881 school was new. His remarks were very complimentary about the new building and said it was one of the finest in the country. He claimed a good education is by far the best gift a parent or a community can give their children.
The newspaper article ended with a tribute to townsman, Joseph Akitt, who carried out the work in such a splendid manner and at such a small cost, $18,000. His business ability was a marvel.