Can it really be half a century since a committee of Laurie Simpson, Pat Brooks, Frank Richardson and Elida Peers got together to organize a celebration for the 100th anniversary of Sooke’s first school in 1872?
Sooke just missed out on having the first public school in BC by a few months, as Metchosin became the first in the province in the spring of 1872. The first elected board of trustees was Michael Muir, James Welsh and F. Turner. The first three successive teachers – with a monthly salary of $50 – were Mrs. E Miles, Mrs. Augusta Mahood and Miss Christina Irvine.
While this first school was built on Muir land just east of Maple Avenue, by 1891 it had been decided to move the school further east to its current site, to land donated by the Charters family.
Records reveal that on Aug. 7, 1897, a letter was written by Edward Milne to the superintendent of education in Victoria. “I am instructed by the Board of Trustees to ask for a grant of 50 dollars to dig a well. The Trustees expect to get water but may have to go to a depth of 30 ft or more. Please let us know if we can get the money to start or finish the well this summer and oblige. Yours truly, E. Milne, Secy.”
Sooke has never been short on community spirit, and in 1972 the entire community looked forward to the big celebration and helped out. Invitations were sent to former students, bringing back distant folks to join in heartwarming reunions. They visited the school, rejoicing in the expansion of modern classrooms and its 13 teachers, and attended the anniversary banquet at Sooke Community Hall, an event that would live on in their memories. One of those 1972 teachers who still lives in Sooke is Delmer Clark.
The principal was Laurie Simpson, who created a commemorative booklet. He reported that the 15 pupils in attendance in 1900 included William, Isabella, Janet and Frederick Milne; John, Edward, William and Eliza Phillips: Violet Ross; Alice Gordon; Adele, Cecile, and Sarah Poirier; Sarah and John Whittier.
Back in 1900, there were no children from the T’Sou-ke Nation in attendance, perhaps a graphic example of the discrimination being practiced by the federal government at that time.
Elida Peers is the historian with the Sooke Region Museum.
