Mahone Bay Old School_A Life and Times_Bob Sayer

It was a business.
Ivan Westhaver loved the print shop. He stayed three years to get his grade 12. He
didn’t want to leave.
Some War Time Improvements
Iron Fire Escape Built: 1940-45, Sneak Preview of Tests, Mischief
New Fire and Fire Insurance Regulations required the building of a massive fire
escape system, front and back of the school. In October 1939 the Board was obliged
to initiate costs of installing. Provincial Fire Marshall, Mr. Rudland, was involved in
the planning. With exterior and interior work [exit doors to the fire escape] it became
a long drawn out process. It was not until 1945 that the bulk of the work was done-by
Leaman H. Hirtle, from West Dublin, a boss at Industrial Shipping.
The monumental exterior iron stairs were a feature of the school for many years.
Some remember the first hand-holding, some the first kiss. George Silver remembers
when the boys figured out that, with a flashlight, at night you could mount the steps,
shine the light through classroom windows and read the next day’s tests the teachers
had written on the boards.
Mischief makers, Bobby Mader recalls, soon realized the new potential for climbing to
the tower and ringing the bell, and escaping, without entering the school building. See
photos on page 153
Classroom and Hall Lighting Installed: 1943-5
Lighting was finally and belatedly installed. In his Principal’s Report for the year
1942-3, Mr. Hankinson wrote, ‘Many of the children are going to have trouble with
their eyes due to having to work during dark weather by insufficient light. This is
a very serious matter. The Board of School Commissioners should take the earliest
opportunity to have the school wired for electric lights.
To their credit, the Board members, led by chair Evan Burgoyne, took immediate
action. In December 1943, Donald Langille, who did electrical work for the Town and
had a daughter, Donna, in school, did the project, working at night. $250 was put in
the 1944-5 budget to complete the installation. The student council added $60 to the
funds. The classroom lights hung down five or six feet from the ceiling
In the 1950s students like Franklyn Burgoyne carried on the work. The shop was
later moved up under the bell in the tower. The aging equipment was eventually sold
off.
So the war came to a close. There had been a number of improvements not previously
mentioned:
Religious Instruction Course: Bible Study: 1942-3
The piecemeal practice of teachers doing their own thing was replaced by a
curriculum set by school representatives and a committee of local clergy. In his
annual report, Mr. Hankinson noted: Bible Study: ‘The courses outlined and adopted
in 1942 were followed this year. Memory work and other knowledge of the material
covered were tested along with English and History examinations.’ The Bible Study
period usually came first in the morning, following prayers.
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