For the Barrie household, the Dickie Settlement Schoolhouse is a spot of fond recollections and long-lasting friendships.
Becky Barrie attended the Cambridge, Ont., faculty in 1967 along with her siblings. Her father and his siblings in addition to her grandfather and his siblings additionally went there
“There’s a number of household historical past that goes means again to the early Eighteen Nineties,” Becky mentioned throughout a CBC interview on Wednesday in her residence.
After the college closed in 1999 and went up on the market, she jumped on the alternative to maintain the property not solely inside the household, however the neighborhood. She moved into the college in November 1999.
Her father, Dave Barrie, initially questioned her determination to purchase the constructing.
“I assumed, ‘Becky, what on Earth have you ever bought in thoughts? Are you loopy? That college is previous and every thing’s previous in it,” recalled Dave.
After transferring in, Becky mentioned, the one gadgets remaining had been the chalkboards.
Throughout renos, pencils present in plumbing
Whereas sustaining the unique lecture rooms the place Grades 1 to eight had been taught, she has since ripped up the tile flooring and changed the home windows.
Nearly 26 years later, Becky believes she has really turned the schoolhouse into a house. Her father agrees.
“That is completely wonderful. The ambiance of the college remains to be right here as a result of the unique room is what’s so vital — she’s saved that,” Dave mentioned.
Over time, Becky additionally found some gadgets from the years the schoolhouse operated.
“Outdoors, I’ve discovered quite a few ink wells and bits of pottery. Within the plumbing, we discovered pencils shoved down there and a sock shoved down a sink,” she mentioned.
“Going up into the attic, I’ve the ladder on show downstairs that went as much as the bell tower.”
Open home for former college students
As a method to reconnect alumni whereas permitting them to see the updates she’s made to the constructing, Becky held an open home on Wednesday, with dozens of former college students and workers attending.
“It is type of an honour that they’d come again,” Becky mentioned. “I am actually hoping that college students and workers who hadn’t seen one another for years could make that connection once more.”
That was the case for Kate Cressman (nee Brown) and Robert Hanna.
Cressman attended the college in 1952 when Hanna was the principal. He was additionally a instructor at simply age 19.
“It is so fantastic assembly so many individuals that had been children in my class,” Hanna mentioned. “I’ve passed by this place many instances and each time I might go by, it jogs my memory a lot of being outdoors taking part in with the children at recesses and midday hours.”
Cressman added, “The largest thrill is to have that image with our Grade 7 and eight instructor. Truthfully, that is unimaginable.”
Becky’s uncle George Barrie was additionally on the open home. At 94, he’s the oldest dwelling scholar from Dickie Settlement.
“It is actually implausible to have such an event as this and so many individuals have turned out. I nonetheless see a couple of that had been in my class however not many,” George mentioned.
A visit down reminiscence lane
With so many alumni underneath the identical roof for the primary time in many years, many reminisced about a few of their favorite recollections on the faculty.
Ron Sage, a scholar in 1976, remembered successful a trophy for the silver plate assortment competitors at the college honest.
“It was an occasion that your mother and father helped you and also you discovered quite a bit. [School fairs] introduced households collectively,” mentioned Sage. “I nonetheless have that silver tray.”
George Barrie recalled how a lot enjoyable he would have throughout recess.
“Within the winter, we might construct forts and throw snowballs, and in the summertime we performed soccer.”
Becky’s father has fond recollections of the alternative ways he would get to the college.
“There was no highway on to our place, it was throughout the fields,” David mentioned. “We walked by way of farmers’ fields, fields of turkeys, sugar bush, and within the winter we had a number of snow, so I might ski or snowshoe.”
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