Celebrating 40 years of family at Perth Road PS

Oct 18, 2012

Photo: staff at PRPS from 1976/77

Staff, students and former students gathered at Perth Road Public School on October 13 to celebrate its 40-year anniversary and four decades of the school’s history in the community.

Classrooms were set up highlighting the history at the school and students were invited to unearth artifacts from the school archives, many of which were incorporated into various displays around the school. As part of a student-driven project, the school’s grade eight students created videos that were showcased at the event. Grade eight teacher Cindy Harvey said, “This was the perfect project for the older students at the school since they really had a chance to look into the history of the school and to see how it has changed over the decades. As part of the introduction to history, I like to teach the students about artifacts and archives, how they are handled, what they mean and what they can learn from them. This project fit that perfectly and the students really took to it and were totally self-driven.”

Retired teacher Doug Farquar, who now works in radio at Queen’s University, instructed the grade eight students in interviewing, camera and video techniques, which aided them in their video project.

The students also interviewed staff and former students at the school.

Photo: Brad and Christina Aylesworth with sons Blake and Owen at the 40th Anniversary celebration at Perth Road PS on October 13

Christina Aylesworth, who along with her husband is a former student at the school, has been teaching at the school for 12 years. She is also the mother of two young students at the school and recalled how family has always been an important part of the school’s philosophy. “I'm definitely a product of this school, which for me has always felt like one big family. That and the fact that the school has always promoted community collaboration are the memories that stick with me most and are the ideas that we continue to promote here at Perth Road. We have a great parent council here at the school, many of whom were former students, which speaks to how people in the community still want to contribute to the school community”, she said.

Visitors at the anniversary event were invited to choose a coloured leaf corresponding to the decade they attended, which they attached to a large tree painted on a wall in the school library.