Slhs_anniversary_08-35

Jeff Green | Sep 04, 2008

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Betty Stewart, who taught the first 2 years the Sharbot Lake High School was open, cuts the cake during opening ceremonies.

They thought they would gather some materials, get the word out informally, and hold a bit of a gathering.

Dianne Lake, the key organiser for the event, which took place on August 30, found that she may have underestimated the ties that bind people to their old school. “It was an overwhelming success,” she said “and met my utmost expectations. In fact, it supassed my expectations.”

Four hundred people showed up for the daytime activities, which included displays arranged by decade in different classrooms, a barbeque, and events in the school cafeteria.

The classroom that was devoted to the 40s, 50s, and 60s, which contained a wealth of material that had been gathered by Anne Walsh, was filled with people throughout the afternoon, as the bulk of the visitors attended the school in those eras.

One of the highlights of the day was the cutting of the cake at 2 pm.

Short speeches by current principal Janet Sanderson, event organiser (and cafeteria supervisor) Dianne Lake, Jim MacPherson, Ann Goodfellow (chair of the Limestone District School Board – and wife and mother of SLHS alumni), preceded the cutting of the ceremonial cake.

The honours were done by Betty Stewart, who was one of the teachers at Sharbot Lake High School on the day it opened in 1948. There were 18 students from that first day in attendance as well, and they all had a great time reminiscing about their school days.

One of the attendees, former School Council President Karl Hansen, said “I saw people today that I haven't seen...since I left high school”.

In the evening, retired teachers Gary Giller and Jim MacPherson hosted a special coffee house in the tradition of the coffee houses that Giller hosted while teaching at Sharbot Lake, but with a lineup that included many former students. Perfomers included: former student Terry Reynolds, accompanied by his daughter Natalie on keyboard, and by his son Lukas on guitar; Mitch Barker; Marc Giroux, and Sean McCullough and Diane Whan.

Almost 200 people attended the coffee house.

For Dianne Lake, the most gratifying aspect of the day was the response of some of the people who attended the school in its ealiest years. “Some of them were truly touched by the event,” she said.