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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday October 5, 2007 - 3 Linbrook looks back over 75 years By Shelly Sanders Greer SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER More than 300 people gathered at Ecole Linbrook Public School on Friday to celebrate the school's 75th birthday. In addition to Mayor Rob Burton and Dane Tutton, superintendent of education, Halton District School Board, students and teachers from every decade of the school's history spoke fondly about their personal experiences at this school. Wendy Tyre (nee Martin), who was a student in the school when it first opened, had a special affinity to the school. Her father had taken a petition to have the school built. And it was at Linbrook, when she was nine years old, that she met one of her best friends, who would eventually be one of her bridesmaids- Gene Wright. Both were only children and ended up spending a lot of time together. "I remember we had to write exams to pass from public to high school," recalls Wright. "I still have the exam papers from Linbrook. I look at them and don't know if I could answer those questions now. "At recess we ran around like crazy and always played sports- especially baseball on the diamond at the edge of the woods. The forest was big so we could play hide and seek. "All grades were together in one class and each grade would sit in a row in front of the teacher. The rest of the class didn't open their mouths while a grade was being taught. You could hear a pin drop. Then another group would come to the front." Linbrook was the last one-room school built in Ontario, and its architecture, which evoked more of the feel of a home than a school, set it apart from any other school in this province and possibly even Canada. Built for Grades 1-8, Linbrook's red brick structure cost $16,000 to build and the first teacher's salary was $1,000 for the year. Inside there was one large classroom, a teacher's room, gymnasium, cafeteria, and library. Located on three and threequarter acres on Linbrook Road, there was already a mature forest for outdoor education and recess fun, and land was available for an addition that would conform with the existing architecture. "There is much to be said in favour of the one-roomed rural school," said George Rogers, chief director of education in Ontario, at DEREK WOOLLAM / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER SCHOOL DAYS: Gil Playfair, right, and representatives from every generation since the 1930s were on hand last Friday evening for Linbrook Public School's 75th anniversary celebrations. Below, left, Carlene Mercer leads the student choir. the opening ceremony. "The pupils have an opportunity for independent work that develops an originality that children of a graded school miss." In 1935, Linbrook entered the Halton Music Festival, starting a tradition of music that continues today. The school also became a vibrant centre for community life, with social evenings every two weeks with speakers, music, games, and dancing. An active drama club was also established, cementing the school's relationship not just with students, but with the entire neighbourhood. Lois McDougall (nee Merry), taught at Linbrook from 1945 to 1947, and enjoyed teaching three grades at a time. She and her husband rented an apartment in a house on Linbrook that is now home to a Linbrook mom with three kids. "The parents were cooperative and the kids were very bright," she recalls. "We planted trees in the backyard and I saw very little misbehaviour. For me as a beginning teacher, it was the best place I could have been." Despite cuts in provincial grants after World War Two, Linbrook continued to grow. In 1949, three classrooms were added for $72,000. Stephen Smith attended all eight grades at Linbrook starting in 1948, and saw all of the extensions added. "At the 50th reunion, Mrs. Fish, my Grade 1 teacher, came up to me and called my by name, which I found extraordinary," says Smith. "Either I still looked like a baby or I must have been a difficult child." One of Smith's classmates was Frances Hanna (nee Gerhardt), who has vivid recollections of Hurricane Hazel. "By the time our neighbours picked me up from my Grade 7 class in their truck the storm had really set in, Linbrook Road looked like a Venetian canal and the old pickup truck really created a wake." Hanna had a hands-on introduction to biology with his Grade 6 teacher, Mr. Scott, who "kept garter snakes in glass aquaria at the back of the classroom and would bring small mice in to feed them. Some of us also brought along inchworms and such for the reptiles." Hanna also recalls her music teacher, Mr. Asher, who led the choir to a provincial championship at the Kiwanis Festival in the mid 1950s. One of Canada's most famous female golfers -- Sandra Post -- is a former Linbrook student from 1953 to 1961. Her talent was clearly evident at a young age, and from grade 4 on, Post spent a month every winter training in Florida. "I had a very understanding principal and the teachers would give me everything I needed," she says. "What I remember most about Linbrook was the quality of teachers. But we were also good athletes and organized mixed baseball teams that were really competitive. On Saturdays, we had track and field meets at Linbrook, and we all walked to and from school together. We all knew each other and it was a much safer time. And the Victoria Day fireworks at Linbrook were huge." More growth led to eight more classrooms and an auditorium in 1954 and 1955, and by 1957, nearby E.J. James school opened and Grade 7 and 8 students were sent there to take the pressure off Linbrook. A big change occurred in 1980, with the first Grade 1 French Immersion program introduced at Linbrook. The school is still French immersion and goes from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 5, has 387 students, and 24 teachers. -- Shelly Sanders Greer is a freelance writer with one child currently at Linbrook School. SIGN UP ON LINE www.ultimatedrivers.ca Cer tificate for highest insurance discount issued by MTO Classroom also available weekends Our in-car sessions include training on highways, freeways, night-time, collision prevention and winter driving FREE pickup from home, work or school for car lessons Special preparation & evaluation for the Ministr y Road T est Fleet of new model cars, flexible time seven days a week Early Road T est arranged, G1 & G2 refresher courses DRIVING INSTRUCTION $ 50 0FF Gift Certificates Available! 16 Years of Excellent Service "We Are Simply the Best" 905-8251172