School days

Strong attendance for Pinecrest and Queen Elizabeth reunion

Hundreds of former students of the now closed Queen Elizabeth and Pinecrest Memorial Schools attended a reunion in Picton at the Prince Edward County Community Centre. Hosted by the Quinte Educational Museums and Archives (QEMA), the event featured a classic car show, a craft show in the arena and an evening dance to tunes from The Reasons. The community centre had an extensive display of memorabilia dating from 1953 with the construction of Queen Elizabeth School, through 1967 when Pinecrest was opened, to 2018 when the schools were shuttered. Much of the material came from QEMA’s archives, but there were a number of private collections on display as well. The closing of these schools was a shock to the community, and last June a number of residents approached QEMA member and former Pinecrest teacher Kathy Reed about organizing a reunion. “I thought this would be a fabulous project for QEMA,” said Reed. “This is what we’re all about, celebrating the history of education in the County. These two schools were a major part in my life because I taught in both schools for 27 years in total.”

(L-R): Maggie Haylock and Carol Cooper both attended Queen Elizabeth Public School. They attended the reunion hoping to meet former classmates and teachers.

Planning for the reunion began in earnest near the end of 2018, and it required the efforts of dozens of volunteers to make it happen. “Our goal in organizing this event is to provide students, teachers and staff who were involved or went to these schools an opportunity to meet-up and reminisce with classmates, teachers and the families from the community,” said QEMA board chair Lynda Sommer.

During the course of the day, over 250 people came to the reunion, almost equally divided between the two schools. Mayor Steve Ferguson brought greetings from Shire Hall. “School plays a pivotal role in establishing friendships and building character,” said Ferguson. “For many years Pinecrest and Queen Elizabeth were truly community hubs, serving to connect young and old alike in ways that extend well beyond the classroom. Schools were the glue that held, and holds, communities together.”

Reunion attendees came from near and far, all seeking to re-establish connections and share memories with their former classmates or colleagues. Over a dozen former teachers were there, plus former custodial and support staff. There were former students such as Steve Wilson, who attended the first ever class at Queen Elizabeth 65 years ago, moving away four years later and now revisiting the County for the first time in 61 years. Long-time resident Maggie Haylock had fond memories of her time at Queen Elizabeth. “Our class came from Mary Street, and Queen Elizabeth seemed so big. I remember getting lost after recess and not being able to find my classroom. I remember Mr. Brown, the art and history teacher. He made us use fountain pens. If we made a mistake, we’d put Javex on a toothpick and bleach it out. School was very different in those days, there was a lot more discipline and a lot more respect for the teachers.” She was particularly interested to find out that one of her former classmates, Bruce Ford—whom she described as being popular with the girls and having a “charming smile”—was also in attendance. “It was fascinating to talk to him about what he remembered of the school. It brought back memories of those days. It seemed a lot more carefree.” Carol Cooper was another QE student who was looking to reconnect with former classmates and teachers. “I had moved from a one-room school to QE and it was a little bit overwhelming at first, but I had a really good experience. There were lots of wonderful teachers and it really instilled a love of learning in me.”

(L-R): Janet Bryant (née Hamblin) and daughter Jenn show photographs from the time they were students at Queen Elizabeth.

There were a number of former teachers who came to the reunion. Herb Cooper taught at Queen Elizabeth from 1965 to 1967 before teaching at Pinecrest. “I was one of the originals at Pinecrest,” he said. “We opened the school. I was there for 23 years and loved every minute of it. They were the greatest kids and the greatest parents, let me tell you.” Teachers such as Cooper and Reed with a long history in a single school would quite often get to teach successive generations of a family. “It’s quite unique when you have a meeting with the grandparents and they are thrilled to have their grandchildren coming to a school where they were a student,” said Reed. Dick Prinzen was one member of such a multi-generational family. His seven brothers and sisters went to the school. “During the course of 39 years, there was always someone in my family who went to that school,” he said. “My daughter and nephew graduated in 2007, so there was 24 in our family who went. That school holds some memories for us.”

Reed was very pleased with the success of the reunion, and the role that QEMA played in preserving artifacts across the schools’ history. “I’m just so thrilled with the presence of all the people here,” she said. “This means a lot to the people who believe in the history of education, and that is what QEMA is all about.” Seeing the reunion attendees pore over the memorabilia, and reminisce about their time at the two schools was a tangible expression of the importance of preserving history for Victoria Schoolhouse summer intern Rosemary Woods. “It’s a really good example of what archival information can mean to people and what the sentimental value of archival work is. It’s great to see the archives come to life here.”