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Sled tS by . Greenbank Womens Institute rp SRSA A by Mrs. A. Empringham The members of the Greenbank Women's Insti- tute have been busy search- ing the records to answer the roll call for the September meeting. It was to name the first owner of your property and the year it was built. The results of this endeavour were very interesting and is to be recorded in the Tweed- smuir History. The meeting, held in the Centennial Hall was chaired by the president Mrs. D. - McKean. She welcomed the Fal Ae YY aT Ar TY pe AE si I EE "yw * i WR RSS RE ATR EE § Se ROT PAR Ne Re predated 0 AT BL EAR WER members, visitors and guest speaker. She spoke of the encouraging plans for peace framed at the meeting of the three nations held at Camp David in the United States recently. The Minutes of the August meeting and the treasurer's report 'were read by the secretary treasurer Mrs. A. McMillan. Mrs. F. Innes will be the leader of the short course Spotlight on Bread, sponsor- ed by the Agriculture and Food division to be held in the Trinity Church October 17th and 18th. Mrs. D. McKean will be our delegate to the area convention to be held in Toronto November 9th and 10th. It was decided to invite neighbouring Women's Insti- tutes to our P.R.0. meeting in October when Mrs. J. Brown of Washago, Ontario will be the guest speaker. She is the newly appointed P.R.0O. for the province of Ontario. The group for the evening was Mrs. J. lanson, Mrs. H. Howsam and Mrs. W. Somer- ville. Owing to illness Mrs. Somerville could not attend. We wish her and Mrs. Thomas, a member of the Greenbank Institute a speedy recovery. The motto for the evening was, A Motto is a short sentence based on a long experience. Mrs. Howsam ably and humourously covered the topic giving samples of several mottos. The speaker, Mr. Walter Phoenix of Toronto was introduced by Mrs. Ianson. 2 { 3 - structions in Caesar" (Latin). P.P.H.S. Marks 110th Anniversary by Paul Arculus PART 2 In the first article, I concluded by stating that Port Perry Grammar School became Port Perry High School and at-the same time its founder, James R. Youmans resigned his position. The time -was December 1871. Mr. Youmans was replaced by a man who became a legend himself. This newcomer was Dugald McBride. ! He was to teach and administer P.P.H.S. until his retirement thirty eight years later in 1910. On February 16, 1872, the High School Inspector for the province of Ontario, the Rev. John D. Mackenzie visited 'Port Perry in order to evaluate the progress made by the new master - Dugald McBride. McBride brought with him a wide teaching exper- ience. He had begun teaching in 1856 in Elgin County and taught at several schools at the elementary level. In 1866 he moved to the Grammar School at Port Hope. He was head master of the Cobourg Grammar School before coming to Port Perry. he also had a B.A. degree from Victoria College. He had a questionable start to his long career as head master at Port Perry. "McBride teaches Arithmetic and English fair.....explains fairly - not enthusiastic, knows but little classics.....blundered in simple con- So went his first inspectors report at P.P.H.S. » The High Schools of Ontario were grouped into four elasses according to the achievement of the pupils on examination. In 1872 there were 101 High Schools catering to over 4000 pupils in Ontario. Among the 43 schools in class four, we find Port Perry with its average attendance for the first half of 1872 down to 19 pupils: "In relation to Class IV we agree in considering the following schools as not only at present far below the standard of High School but as likely to remain so for years to come since the villages in which they have been established are without good Public Schools and therefore without the material for the support of anything worthy of the name of high school." : . A brief look at Public School conditions will help us to understand why the pupils were so inferior. In February 1894 Dr. Hodgins decided to develop a Documentary History of Education. In order to compile this history he sent a circular to the secretaries of schoolboards and to superannuated teachers asking them to write about their experiences. The only letter in this collection which pertains to the Scugog area is a letter by Australia B. McBrien, a brother of James McBrien who was later a Public School inspector. He taught at S.S. 3 Reach from 1866 to 1868 and at S.S.1 Cartwright from 1869 to 75. Some of his pupils would have attended Port Perry High School. He describes the log building briefly and goes on to describe the new school at S.S.1 Cartwright. "But, sir, in June 1870, we made by contrast wonderful improvement - A new frame building dimensions 40 x 28 x 9 feet. New wooden desks, each desk 2 pupils, say from 70 to 90 pupils comfortably seated. A teacher's desk - class platform in front of the same, a cupboard behind which for school library soon after supplied with books which were lent out to pupils once a week. Blackboards too - Map of the world, maps of the continents and British Isles and let me say, Zoological map showing the two grand Divisions of the Animal Kingdom, vertebrates and invértibrates with their subdivisions into classes...... a well and pump therein a school grounds 3-4 ac." This was the educational environment from which the pupils of Mr. Youmans and Mr. McBride would come. Many of the teachers were unqualified. They could obtain a third class teaching certificate by merely helping out another teacher and then writing an examination supervised by the County Board. The more ambitious could, if they could afford it, journey to Toronto (0 attend Normal School. It was not until 1877 that a Model School system was set up in order to formalize the training of those who could not attend Normal School. We can well imagine the calibre of some of the teachers before 1877 if they had not attended university or Normal school. When Port Perry High School opened in September 1872 we find that Mr. McBride has an assistant, a Mr. Duncan Crawford. However, there are only 19 students S » i »> RN } " but they are still in a small room. Finally, the board has been moved from its procrastination or lethargy or lack of finances or whatever had caused it not to undertake the establishment of better facilities for the High School: ".... new builing will be commenced or an extensive addition made to the old next year" and a significant comment under the Classics: "A great improvement on the old state of things under Mr. Youmans who was quite incompetent." On February 19, 1873 the inspector returned again to find that the enrolment was on the increase for there were now 45 on the roll, 5 of whom had been admitted in January as a result of the High School Entrance Examinations which were held in June and December. - It was not until 1875 that the inspectors recommended having just one entrance examination. Thus the last December examination was held in 1974. ".... school has undoubtedly improved during the past year. Mr. McB - earnest worker, not good in classics does fair work in other branches though clinging too tenaciously to old fashioned methods. Asst. teaches very well." The omens for the future are now good. Mr. McBride seems to have settled in to the routine of the school. The affairs of Port Perry High School seem to have improved. The enrolment is on the rise again. He has an assistant to relieve what must have been an overwhelming academic, organizational and admini- strative responsibility. (It had proven too much-for Mr. Youmans). But most important of all, a new building was on the horizon. A + » PORT PERRY STAR -- Wed., October 11, 1978 -- 13 He was born in Greenbank and lived his younger years here. At the request of our Curator he has spent the last two years researching the early history of Scugog and Greenbank. This village was first named Gimlet Town and was on the old Brock Road which angled north east from Bethesda and was Just west of the present site. Some of the names of the first settlers can be traced to the present generation. He told of the forming of the Sons of Temperance in New York because the traders were giving alcohol to the Indians for furs. The organi- zation grew very quickly into Canada and a group was formed in Greenbank in September 1858. The names of the first members are still on record. This history of Greenbank is to be continued at a later date. Mr. Phoenix is to be commended for the time he has taken delving into this history. He was thanked by Mrs. Howsam and presented with a token of Appreciation. Mrs. H. Phoenix read a poem she has written on Life in the hospital 50 years ago. She showed snaps of her graduation in 1928 as a Nurse from the Western Hospital in Toronto and spoke of the strictness of the rules of the hospital and the stiffness of the uniforms they had to wear compared to to-day. She was proud to attend the . 50th anniversary earlier this year and meet with her old classmates. 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