WELLAND HIGH SCHOOL BEGAN ITS CAREER JUST SEVENTY YEARS AGO

In the Early Days Girls Were Not Admitted to School

Present Building Was Erected in 1915

[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 17 June 1924]

The Welland High School, while not one of the oldest schools in the Province, can yet claim a place with the older schools of its class; its establishment dates from 1854, before the hamlet, formerly known as “The Aqueduct,” later the Village of Merrittsville, after much rivalry with other places won the county buildings, became the capital of the county newly separated from the united counties of Lincoln and Welland and was incorporated in 1858 as the Village of Welland. The founders of our present city, descendents of an intelligent stock, people who had had good schools in New England and of a people whose forefathers had enjoyed liberal educational advantages in the old world, were not unmindful of the care of education and, though a school had been in existence for some years previous to incorporation, the need was felt for a higher institution of learning, resulting in the establishment of the Welland Grammar School in accord with a new Act of Legislature making provision for such schools.

These schools previous to this time had not been in any sense popular schools; their founders had in mind the great English public school whose curriculum was largely classical and whose benefits were confined to the wealthy; they were essentially for the benefit of the ruling classes and though Governor Simcoe’s proposal in 1789 was to have “Free Grammar Schools,” they levied considerable sums in fees and received considerable legislative grants. Neither were they High Schools as we now use that term. The curricular had no uniformity; each school was a law unto itself and depended almost wholly on the teacher; if he were scholarly and earnest, he could accomplish much and many did so. Often young boys who could scarcely read were admitted and their later progress was affected by the teacher’s skill in mending goose-quill pens once and twice a day. But although these schools were not for the mass of the people, it was a decided advantage that the rulers should have some educational advantages. No one can read the list of names of men educated in these schools and afterwards prominent in Canadian public life without recognizing that their establishment was a blessing to the whole of Canada.

The Welland school, coming into existence late among schools of its class, was to a large extent free of the limitations and objectionable features of the old-time Grammar Schools; under the new act it received from the outset good popular support. Under its first headmaster, Nelson Burns, who labored wisely and well and whose memory is held in high esteem, it was housed in a dwelling or “old pottery” on the site of the dwelling of A.J. McAlpine, later in the court house and in a school building on the site of the present Y.M.C.A. In 1866, after Mr. Hodgson’s removal, a system of union Grammar and Common School was inaugurated with J.W. Jolly as head master. Four years later increased attendance earned it again a home of its own, a brick building diagonally opposite the present building and later well known as the “Third Ward School,” since removed and the site built up with residences. Mr. Jolly was succeeded by Ira DeLamater, B.A., E.M. Bigg, M.A., and William Oliver, B.A., during whose term of office by the Act of 1871 the same Grammar School was changed to High School, and in 1874 a uniform standard of entrance examination was established throughout the Province. Mr. Oliver resigned during this year and George Baptie, B.A., was in charge till J.M. Dunn, B.A., L.L.B., took charge in January, 1875.

Under the new Act, with a new name and a new principal, the school gained in strength till in 1879 it was moved to a new site just in front of the present building and a new building, “A beautiful building,” the History of Welland County says of it, “of red brick trimmed with white, in spacious grounds, with basement, well furnished, and heated throughout by hot air from a huge furnace.” This building was replaced by the present building in 1915. Mr. Dunn, not a young man, died in office ten years later, a zealous painstaking teacher, who sent on many students to the University whose courses reflected great credit  on his work; indeed, it is claimed that the first lady to graduate from a Canadian university was prepared in his classes.

It is not known at what date girls were first admitted to the school; the spirit of the old Grammar Schools was decidedly opposed to such procedure; this attitude will strike the students of today as decidedly queer; now-a-days a school without ladies as teachers and girls as students would be regarded as “a home without a  mother,” and without sisters, too. It must be remembered however, that accommodations and affairs generally now are very different from those of the early pioneer days. The association of boys and girls in school, so easy and even desirable today, would have been under the old conditions difficult and intolerable.

After the death of Mr. Dunn, John Lennox, the teacher of mathematics and science, was acting principal till the appointment of H.M. McCuaig, B.A., the principal. The school at that time had three teachers less than one hundred students on its roll and made good effort to cover all the work of the curriculum; today there are seven teachers with a trifle less than three hundred students on the roll and the work has been greatly specialized and the curriculum extended, noticeably the science, art and commercial departments.

The new building opened in March, 1915, stands well back from West Main street on a slight knoll with a green lawn sloping gradually to the fine maple trees that border the grounds. The building is of red brick; its straight sky-line and the absence of stone-work at the basement gives the appearance of greater length and less height. A circular walk with off-shoots to the boys’ and girls’ entrances at either end curves past an imposing main entrance at the centre. The interior has, at the right of the main entrance, the office, on the left a fine, large room, for the library; immediately opposite the entrance a “convenience door” leads to a balcony overlooking the great gymnasium which in height from basement to second store extends from the rear of the main building; to the right and left wide well lighted corridors, lined by class-room doors with glass panels, lead to the students’ entrance at either end and to stairways leading to the hallway above. Here are more class-rooms, science laboratories, an art room, a suite of rooms for the commercial department, and a large room for domestic science classes. The basement contains a manual  training room in addition to lunch-rooms and locker rooms for students and is finished in concrete as are all the lavatories. The building is heated by steam, lighted throughout by electricity and ventilated by shafts admitting outdoor air that is warmed by radiators. There are study-rooms, cloak-rooms and all provision for comfort. The building is practically fireproof and has emergency locks on outside doors that open to pressure from within even when locked.

The administration of the school is vested in a Board of Trustees appointed by the councils of the city and county respectively, and to the gentlemen who have given their services on this Board the progress and strength of the school is due in no small degree. Its income is from grants from the councils mentioned and from the Legislature. No fees have been charged since 1891.

The opening of the new building with its fine gymnasium gave an impetus to the work of physical training and the athletic interests of the students; the school has the usual quota of boys’ and girls’ clubs, a good Cadet Corps which has provided from its ranks some fifteen men for overseas service, and a school paper “The Student” published now and then.

High Schools were organized in the beginning to prepare students for the universities and the training schools of the professions; among these the profession of teaching took by far the greater share. Of late greater recognition has been given the claims of others, students destined to industrial, commercial and agricultural work find their requirements better met by the regular courses of the school. The Industrial Evening Classes and the encouragement given to the Junior Farmers’ Improvement Association were extensions along this line, and the addition of manual training and domestic science seems to be a step of the near future. It is questionable whether this arrangement will long satisfy the demand; later years will in all probability see specialized secondary schools growing out of the many departments now included in the High School scheme.