Sharbot Lake High School 75th Anniversary

Dianne Lake | Mar 22, 2023

The building may be gone, but the memories and the spirit will live forever. This year is the 75th Anniversary of the opening of Sharbot Lake High School.

The opening of the new five room school in Sharbot Lake brought to completion plans that had been advanced for many years by forward thinking residents of Frontenac County such as H. J. Thomson from Sharbot Lake, who had long campaigned for the school to be built.

The original school cost $90,000 to build.

It was built to accommodate 80 students, and 128 showed up the very first day. They came from far and wide, by half ton trucks with seats in the back, old bread delivery trucks, discarded army trucks, and dump trucks with benches in the back.

Before the school was built students wishing secondary education would go to Perth, Sydenham and board for the week with relatives or families.

Some students went farther away and came home by train to the Sharbot Lake area.

The first principal of the school was Mr. Babcock ,who also taught agricultural science, senior sciences, guidance, and cadet instruction. Mr. Fulcher taught shop. Mr. Ramsay taught French, social studies, physical and health education, and cadet instruction. Mrs. Slingerland taught mathematics, home economics, physical and health education, Ms. Stewart taught English, history, Latin, and music. Mrs. Ramsay was the first secretary.

Within the first year the school opened an addition was in the works to accommodate all the students. Three bus routes where operated daily, at no charge to the students, to get them to and from school.

The evening of the opening day there was a dance in the community hall to conclude the events of the day.

Mark your calendars for September 16, 2023, when there will be a meet and greet of all former Sharbot Lake High School students and staff, at Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake .

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