Greater Nanaimo - Schools

[Zelley10]

As schools are very important in the history of Nanaimo,
it is important to compile a brief history of then on one thread.

An important source of history is the yearly Annuals.

One such Annual is the NDSS "Bastion Annual". The various sections go beyond faces and names. Some history of the various activities is
found throughout the annuals. For instance, in the 1965 Publication
there were various letters from the likes of Fleet Admiral (USA),
C W NIMITZ, Gov. Gen. George VANIER, and others such as Walt Disney.

[Zelley10]

The life and times of our schools: By Zelley

To add a touch of modern prose to our history page let's borrow a few words from the song "Clocks" by Coldplay: "closing walls...ticking clocks".

In many ways the ticking clock symbolizes our days at school when we
watched and waited for the recess or lunch bell while the clock ticked on. It is also symbolic of time passing, and most things change including the face of and the faces in the old schools.

Flashing quickly through the pages of time, each year the faces within each school changes, and the schools change. Over the passages of time, old
schools fade away or are converted to another form. Fresh new faces arrive at the old and new elementary schools to begin an important journey of
discovery, socialization and friendship.

Long gone are the South Ward and the Thomas Hodgins schools. As our
Greater Nanaimo has expanded in growth and population new schools have been built while the mix of the old John Barsby has changed into a community school.

Back in days of yore, my first experience in a Nanaimo school was the
interesting days at Brechin Elementary, followed-up with a couple of years
at Princess Anne and then grade 6 at Quarterway.

It is fair to say that the grade 6 class in 1958 was special as it was
the start of our Centennial Year in British Columbia. It was a year of events and happenings scattered throughout the Province. It truly was the
"Age of Innocence". And, I still have the old class photo with the year 1958
held by s student that still resides and works in Nanaimo.

Like some of schools that have passed away, sadly some of the smiling faces of the grade 6 1957/1958 class at Quarterway Elementary School are gone.