Hundreds gather in Cardinal to share memories at Celebration of Generations
NEWS JUN 18, 2017 BY MONICA MROZ ST. LAWRENCE NEWS
A celebration of life, strength of community and families have capped a 68-year history of Benson Public School in Cardinal.
The Saturday, June 17 party to mark the final closing of the school was not so much a locking of classrooms doors, but a renewing of friendships and telling tales of the past, with a vision to the future.
The Upper Canada District School Board voted to close Benson earlier this year, as part of a sweep of rural schools throughout the region to deal with declining enrolment.
It was that strong sense of community in which Benson was a focal point of pride and spirit that drew about 300 people to the school to reminisce and see the bright halls and classrooms decorated with children’s artwork one last time.
“I loved it here,” said Jamie (Amell) Riddell, who started Kindergarten at Benson in 1969. Her mother June Amell started Grade 7 at Benson in 1949, the first year it opened. They described a wonderful community school, where your neighbours were your classmates and friends. While Riddell said she can understand the school board's decision to close from a business standpoint, it is a sad day for Cardinal.
Lorne Bender, principal at Benson for six years beginning in 1979, was greeted warmly by his past students. Despite his pleasure at taking part in the celebration, he said “there’s a sad spot in my heart.” This community was number one.”
Bender noted there were about 230 students attending Benson when he was principal, and at times the school roster reached about 400 students. Fewer than 70 children will walk through the doors for the last time when the school closes at the end of this school year.
Lynn Barkley, the school’s beloved Kindergarten teacher at Benson for 34 years who retired in 1999, told the gathering on the school’s lawn that she was the one who learned so much from her approximately 1,800 “little lambs” whom she helped guide to adulthood. Laughing, sharing and learning something new every day were keys to happiness that she took with her.
Barkley lamented the “one size fits all” board decision to close the rural school that she says did not recognize local spirit and values. Barkley also pointed to the community’s tremendous volunteer spirit and dedication to the school that helped children learn and flourish to become healthy and productive adults.
In her humourous recollections of her teaching days, Barkley looked at contrasts to today’s classrooms. It was a time when teachers always wore suits and dresses, wearing makeup was frowned upon, there were no teacher aides or planning time, and every teacher had a strap in their desk.
Kevin Van Camp, a student at the school in the late 1950s and early 1960s, well recalls those straps. “We had a lot of fun and we got in a lot of trouble,” he said. His hands were still wet and cold when he got the strap for throwing snowballs over the fence at the corn factory workers next door. “A.C. Casselman, he was really strict,” Van Camp said of the first principal at Benson from 1949.
Donna Gladstone led the charge during the past year to keep Benson Public School open as part of the Save Our Schools (SOS) Help Save Benson Committee. Despite the hard fight, she’s ready to take a page from her daughter’s book on looking forward. Eight-year-old Ellie will move to South Edwardsburg Public School in Johnstown in September with her classmates. Gladstone said her daughter is looking forward to “the next chapter” in her life and is excited. “We learn from our children,” said Gladstone. Her husband and mother also attended Benson, and she acknowledges “letting go is hard.”
John Bourne is the current principal at Benson, and he will move with his students to Johnstown. His five years at Benson have been the best of his 20-year career in education, he said, adding that he will “profoundly miss” the love and care and community at Benson.
People may be anxious and angry about the closing, but the community can be proud of what it has accomplished at Benson over the past 68 years, Leeds-Grenville MPP Steve Clark said at the celebration. He said he has witnessed such spirit and love at the school, and the community will be able to take that energy to remember the good times and direct them into making new good memories to celebrate in the future.
