From the 1962-63 school year book, many thanks to Bruce Schneider :tbu: for sending this one in.
In 1907 the Burlington Beach Commission was formed and an agreement was made with the Hamilton Board of Education that Beach children be permitted to attend, city schools on payment of one dollar per month. The cost of tuition and transportation was shared by parents and the commission.
Eight years later the Board, considered it necessary to increase the
school fee to three dollars. The increase was resented by Beach taxpayers but nevertheless, it became effective in January 1916, This bought to the fore once again the urgent need of a school on the Beach.
Supported by the unanimous approval of the Beach residents, the commissioners arranged for the building of a one-room school at station six. The frame building was opened for classes in 1916 with Miss Charlotte Howlet of Flora as principal in charge of all eight grades comprising of about fifty students. The school was known simply as the Beach School, but Douglas Purchase, a student of the first graduation class, suggested that it should be called Beach Bungalow School; this name seemed most appropriate and was adopted.
A second room was added to the school in 1918 and a third in 1922. TO accommodate the increase in enrolment a fourth classroom was opened in 1927, in the Masonic Hall beside the school. A second classroom was arranged there in 1930.
Within very few years the building of additional accommodation had become imperative. The contract for the construction of a brick building was entrusted to James Kemp, a Hamilton contractor, and the corner stone was laid on June 17, 1937 by Mr. George Bethune, the provincial representative for the constituency. Under the corner stone were placed a copy if the Hamilton Spectator, a souvenir of the Coronation of King George VI and a copy of the names of the Commissioners and teaching staff.
The following June the new three-room, red brick building was officially opened by Mr. Duncan McArthur, deputy-minister of Education. In September eight classes began in the enlarged school with an attendance of 255 under the principalship of Mr. W.F. Johnson. Later that year two well equipped rooms for Manual Training and Home Economics were opened.
By 1943 three more classrooms had been added and nine full-time teachers were employed, but the need, for additional accommodation continued, to recur. In August 1950 an extensive building programme commenced when the lakeside wing of our present building began to take shape. During the construction a disastrous fire destroyed the major art of the original frame building and the problem of overcrowded classrooms became more acute than ever forcing immediate revision of the building plans
It was decided to demolish completely the burned wreckage of the teach Bungalow School saving only the bell which at a later date was to
be erected, in its present place of honour on the front lawn; and from it the school derived its name - Bell Cairn Memorial School.
The student enrolment continued to increase and in September 1951 half of the spacious auditorium had to be converted into two classrooms. In 1957 two basement rooms had to be utilized and a third, the following year.
It is obvious from the historical account of our school that the present building has resulted from many varied stages of development, and there are further changes to come this summer when it is planned to restore the auditorium to its original size by the removal of the two temporary classrooms which will be relocated in a prefabricated structure.
Chris Langille,
Gayle Brown. Grade 8,
Editor's note:
It has been impossible to do any research in the history of Bell Cairn School without becoming very conscious of the underlying work of Mr. Johnson, who for many years, played such an integral part in the life of the school.
We are proud to include his greetings and felicitations in this first publication of our booklet
SCHOOL HISTORY
The children of the earliest Beach families attended school at Van Wagner's Beach. After the coming of the radial car in 1896, some families chose to send their children to city schools. However, the area was still considered part of the Van Wagner school section and school taxes collected from Beach property owners went toward the support of that section.In 1907 the Burlington Beach Commission was formed and an agreement was made with the Hamilton Board of Education that Beach children be permitted to attend, city schools on payment of one dollar per month. The cost of tuition and transportation was shared by parents and the commission.
Eight years later the Board, considered it necessary to increase the
school fee to three dollars. The increase was resented by Beach taxpayers but nevertheless, it became effective in January 1916, This bought to the fore once again the urgent need of a school on the Beach.
Supported by the unanimous approval of the Beach residents, the commissioners arranged for the building of a one-room school at station six. The frame building was opened for classes in 1916 with Miss Charlotte Howlet of Flora as principal in charge of all eight grades comprising of about fifty students. The school was known simply as the Beach School, but Douglas Purchase, a student of the first graduation class, suggested that it should be called Beach Bungalow School; this name seemed most appropriate and was adopted.
A second room was added to the school in 1918 and a third in 1922. TO accommodate the increase in enrolment a fourth classroom was opened in 1927, in the Masonic Hall beside the school. A second classroom was arranged there in 1930.
Within very few years the building of additional accommodation had become imperative. The contract for the construction of a brick building was entrusted to James Kemp, a Hamilton contractor, and the corner stone was laid on June 17, 1937 by Mr. George Bethune, the provincial representative for the constituency. Under the corner stone were placed a copy if the Hamilton Spectator, a souvenir of the Coronation of King George VI and a copy of the names of the Commissioners and teaching staff.
The following June the new three-room, red brick building was officially opened by Mr. Duncan McArthur, deputy-minister of Education. In September eight classes began in the enlarged school with an attendance of 255 under the principalship of Mr. W.F. Johnson. Later that year two well equipped rooms for Manual Training and Home Economics were opened.
By 1943 three more classrooms had been added and nine full-time teachers were employed, but the need, for additional accommodation continued, to recur. In August 1950 an extensive building programme commenced when the lakeside wing of our present building began to take shape. During the construction a disastrous fire destroyed the major art of the original frame building and the problem of overcrowded classrooms became more acute than ever forcing immediate revision of the building plans
It was decided to demolish completely the burned wreckage of the teach Bungalow School saving only the bell which at a later date was to
be erected, in its present place of honour on the front lawn; and from it the school derived its name - Bell Cairn Memorial School.
In front of our school is a big iron bell, If you read, the inscription it will tell. The year in which the school was erected, And how the site was selected.
The old school was burned the records say, But the bell was saved for another day, It now sits on a grey cut-stone cairn, Like a sentinel watching each "bairn."
(Composed by Sunny Lea Rusk, 1963)
The corner stone of the auditorium was laid in June 1951 and the extension of the south wing was begun to replace the burned building, before this wing was completed it was realized, that accommodation would soon fall short of requirements once again; to forestall repetition of the problem a large kindergarten room was added to the wing.The old school was burned the records say, But the bell was saved for another day, It now sits on a grey cut-stone cairn, Like a sentinel watching each "bairn."
(Composed by Sunny Lea Rusk, 1963)
The student enrolment continued to increase and in September 1951 half of the spacious auditorium had to be converted into two classrooms. In 1957 two basement rooms had to be utilized and a third, the following year.
It is obvious from the historical account of our school that the present building has resulted from many varied stages of development, and there are further changes to come this summer when it is planned to restore the auditorium to its original size by the removal of the two temporary classrooms which will be relocated in a prefabricated structure.
Chris Langille,
Gayle Brown. Grade 8,
Editor's note:
It has been impossible to do any research in the history of Bell Cairn School without becoming very conscious of the underlying work of Mr. Johnson, who for many years, played such an integral part in the life of the school.
We are proud to include his greetings and felicitations in this first publication of our booklet