The little brass bell inscribed with the names of James Park elementary principals dating back to 1913 rings with authority when current principal Petra Kintzinger gives it a shake.
You can almost picture a gaggle of kids running up the wooden stairs to greet stern Emma Cox nearly 100 years ago.
Cox was the first James Park school principal who ruled with an iron hand from 1913 to 1933, terrifying youngsters and schooling them as well in Geography, British and Canadian studies and Composition.
Judging by a few report cards that have been kept all these years, Cox had high expectations of her charges when she presided over the first James Park school building that opened in 1913.
"A very good student," she wrote in elegant cursive script for Lilly Greenwood's report card in 1915. Greenwood's general conduct improved from B to A during the months of August through December under Cox's strict but inspirational leadership. But likely there were other students who didn't live up to her strict standards.
"She used to terrify me," is how one former student described her feelings about her Grade 1 teacher in an old news clipping dating back 25 years. Ruth McKenzie said Cox demanded and got respect from her students "but when you got to know her she was a terrific person."
On Friday, June 15, former James Park alumni will have an opportunity to relive their own school experience during a 100th Anniversary celebration.
The party, with a meet and greet session for the community and a ticketed event following, is being held to coincide with the closure of the current school, which replaced Cox's building in 1963. A new concrete building under construction next door will open for current students in the fall.
Organizer Debbie Ponsart said she wanted to give the community a chance to say good bye as well as walk down memory lane with the school's collection of photographs and artifacts.
Although the first school building opened in 1913, Ponsart said 1912 marks the earliest days of James Park when students from overcrowded Junction School took their lessons in a tent and studied in a house on Langan Avenue while their two-storey, four-room building was being constructed.
With the current building slated to be torn down, "I thought it was the perfect time to have a community celebration," Ponsart said.
She's sifted through dozens of boxes of photographs and other memorabilia and has even unearthed a time capsule from 25 years ago she hopes to bring to the event.
The photos of school plays and basketball teams show how much the school meant to its students and teachers. "I'm surprised at how much of a role the school played in the community," she said.
In fact, PoCo's May Day celebrations were started by Mrs. Cox in 1916 before they were taken over by the city.
While there are few old timers left, many current staffers have been at the school for years, and retired teachers from many years ago will be returning, said Ponsart, who has been a Special Education Assistant at James Park for 20 years.
"Come and visit," she urged, "It will be a lot of fun."
The James Park bell is calling students, staff and families to a celebration Friday June 15. Family viewing of archives (free) from 4-5:30 p.m., adult event 6-9 p.m. light appetizers, beverages. Tickets are $10 per person available at the office or email [email protected] or [email protected].
PIONEERING SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION
Thirty years ago James Park elementary school was a lighthouse district for integrating students with special needs. Today, it continues to educate students of all abilities with advanced technology.
A grant from SET-BC will provide the school with 14 laptops, a smart board that connects to the internet, and computer software called Solo 6 so children with learning difficulties can learn to read and write along with their peers.
Principal Petra Kintzinger said SET-BC, which assists schools in educating students with physical disabilities, visual impairments, autism, or intellectual disabilities through the use of adaptive technology, will once again enable James Park to be an education leader.
In the mid 1980s before inclusion was established in all schools, principal Ted Fridge and vice-principal Steve Rogers ended segregation of students with learning challenges by bringing them from a nearby annex into regular classes. "That was an important milestone in our history," Kintzinger said.
Now, with the new technology from SET-BC and professional development for classroom teachers, the school will continue to be an education leader, she says.
