Birch Cliff students march in Queen St. parade to publicize school’s 75th anniversary.
As we approach the 100th anniversary of Birch Cliff Public School it’s interesting to take a look back at the school’s previous milestones and how they were celebrated.
On this day 25 years ago the Toronto Star published an article about the school’s 75th anniversary but it curiously made the newspaper almost three weeks after the actual celebration. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting article.
Birch Cliff school celebrates 75th anniversary
What do Bob Baun and Peter Zezel have in common? If you answered that both have donned the blue and white of the Toronto Maple Leafs, you are correct. If you also knew they also donned the blue and yellow as pupils of Birch Cliff Public School in Scarborough, you would be right again.
Birch Cliff celebrated its 75th anniversary this year with many special events culminating in an open house and dinner earlier this month.
Birch Cliff Public School was born out of the neighborhood in southwest Scarborough that developed at the turn of the century.
The area was originally the destination of Torontonians seeking modest summer dwellings on the Scarborough Bluffs. A Mr. Stark chose to name his summer house “Birch Cliff” reflecting the natural surroundings.
Built in 1916
When neighbors persuaded Arthur Mitchell to use the name for the Post Office in his variety store, the name became synonymous with the community. When the name Birch Cliff was registered in Ottawa with Canada Post, the matter of naming the community was put to rest.
Birch Cliff Public School was built in 1916 at the corner of Birch Cliff Ave. and Kingston Rd., opposite the site of the future Scarborough Council offices from which the borough operated from 1922 until the mid-1940’s. (The building is now home to a CIBC branch.)
The school’s entire construction was not complete until November of that year, meaning that many junior pupils got an extended summer holiday until all of the classrooms were finished.
Along with those Maple Leafs, Birch Cliff is home to the well- known children’s author Bernice Thurman Hunter. Hunter has entertained children for years with her Margaret and Booky series.
She attended the recent open house and visited the school earlier in the year when she assisted in the student preparation of That Scatterbrain Booky.
In keeping with the anniversary theme, each class was responsible for researching and representing a decade. The pupils then decorated their room with appropriate clothing and memorabilia to reflect their adopted era.
The staff and pupils also held a dress-up day in which they wore the clothing of the decade they were representing.
Scarborough Board of Education officials, current staff, and former staff and pupils attended the open house.
Nearly 400 kindergarten to Grade 8 pupils now attend the school and everyone was involved in the celebrations.
The Phyllis Griffith Neighborhood Centre and a Y day-care program also operate out of one of the school’s wings.
Those at the festivities fondly recalled previous classmates and teachers. Mrs. E.E. Reece was the first Birch Cliff principal, serving the school and community for 25 years until her retirement in 1941.
Of the other seven principals Birch Cliff has had – its principal now is John Brown – several have moved on to other positions within the school board.
Mr. L.M. Wideman, principal from 1946-69, was in attendance at Saturday’s proceedings, warmly recalling the “early years” and occasional difficult moments at Birch Cliff.
While we can all breathe easier with the tensions in the Middle East having subsided, Birch Cliff was built during the turbulent times of World War I.
Fighting men
In addition, the school that Mr. Wideman inherited in 1946 had seen many former pupils serving overseas in World War II. A plaque designed by A. J. Casson pays tribute to these former pupils. Pupils recognized in the halls of Birch Cliff for sports achievements can also be found listed in this tribute to our fighting men.
It was implicitly felt that, with the unrest in today’s world, the hope is that the current crop of Birch Cliff pupils will not have to make the same sacrifice for Canada as their predecessors.
The day concluded with a dinner and dance at the nearby Kennedy Ballroom. More than 150 alumni and staff enjoyed one last chance to swap Birch Cliff stories. The dance was highlighted by music from the past 75 years, some of which undoubtedly sounded quite foreign to today’s pupils.
Birch Cliff is a key centre of this Scarborough community – an enriched environment in which the children have the opportunity to mature through sound education and local activities and events.
Birch Cliff is sure to be the home of many more achievers and academics, authors and athletes for years to come.
50th “Golden Jubilee
In 1966, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary with a celebration that was dubbed a “Golden Jubilee” and consisted of a “get-to-gether” at the school on a Friday night.
The 50th anniversary was special in its own right but it also resulted in an important historical artifact – a written history that not only describes the first half century of Birch Cliff PS but also tells a fascinating story about the early years of our neighbourhood.
The author was Virginia Sullivan and we all owe her a debt of gratitude.
Sullivan’s history has been excerpted on the Birch Cliff News website and you can read it by clicking on the links below.
This is article is part of a “Today in History” series commemorating the upcoming 100th anniversary celebration of Birch Cliff Public School, which is taking place on Sept. 23/24, 2016.
