A photo that ran on the front page the June 15, 1953 edition of the Citizen showed the Grade 6 class of what had been Connaught Hill Elementary School gathered with their teacher, Ron Brent.
After a fire destroyed their school in 1951, students had spent the last two years learning in shifts at the High School Annex, and told the Citizen that they were unhappy about not being able to attend the new school being built to replace theirs.
They also expressed their sadness in leaving Brent’s class, having circulated a petition of support to have him return for a third term at the school. It worked; he taught at the new school for years.
Connaught Hill Elementary, located at the corner of Queensway and 15th Avenue, opened in 1946 on the site of a former two-room schoolhouse that had seen many other uses over the years. It burned down in 1951. The new Connaught Elementary, which opened in 1953 at Pine Street and 17th Avenue, was renamed Ron Brent Elementary in 1978 following his death.
Take a look at our gallery for more photos from the past.
