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The Uniacke District School officially opened Thursday,
November 12, 1959. The teaching staff
at that time was Miss Sandra D. Hilchey, Grade V; Mrs. Carrie L. MacLellan,
Primary; Mrs. Pearl A. Comic, Principal; Mrs. Ola Wood, Grade 1; Mrs. Grace I.
Moore, Grade 3; Miss Frances E. Rent, Grade 2; Miss Ellen Burgess, Grade 4.
The Uniacke District School is designed to serve the
educational needs of the pupils in the elementary grades in the area of East
Hants which is centered at Mount Uniacke. It was made possible by the
consolidation of the five former school sections of Mount Uniacke, South
Uniacke, East Uniacke, Hillsvale, and South Rawdon. The high school pupils of this district have been attending the
Hants West Rural High School at Brooklyn for the past two years. It is the first of several elementary
consolidated schools planned for the Municipality.
This school is built on a five acre site,
overlooking Swan Lake (Penz Lake) on the Annapolis Valley highway. Here junior boys and girls are privileged to
attend a modern, well-staffed, graded school, offering a program of studies
extending from the primary grade to junior high school entrance.
The building was constructed by the
Municipality of East Hants with the costs shared by the Municipal and
Provincial Governments. The school is
administered by the East Hants Municipal School Board, assisted by a local
trustee board consisting of five trustees elected by the ratepayers of the area
which it servces.
Designed to accommodate from 350 to 375 pupils,
eight classrooms are completed. Space
for three future classrooms is presently being used as an auditorium. The building is a model of simplicity and
utility with non-instructional space kept to a minimum.
This building, constructed of brick-faced
thermocrete blocks and a steel frame, has pleasing architectural lines and
blends well into its situation. The
architect has used the popular split-level design in which two entrances give
access to both levels by short flights of stairs, up or down, from ground
level. Simple trim, asphalt and
linoleum tile floors make the interior attractive and easy to keep clean.
Double glazed windows supplement the glass brick
wells. Thermocrete partition and
concrete sub-floors make this building virtually fireproof. In addition to the regular classrooms, a
principal’s office, teacher’s room , and hot lunch facilities have been
provided. Sanitary and storage
facilities are adequate. Ventilated and
heated cloakroom space is provided by recessed alcoves incorporated in each
classroom.
Conveyance for pupils to and from this school for a
radius of approximately twelve miles is provided by two 48 passenger and one 60
passenger bus. In 1959, the bus drivers
and maintenance staff at Uniacke District School were Thomas Blois, Edward
Moore and Charles Turnbull.
The consolidation of the schools in this area was
mainly brought about by three main factors: 1. increased school population
2. providing new school buildings or
expansion including major repairs; 3.
the difficulty in getting qualified teachers in more rural areas.
Being thus faced, a public meeting was held
at the Mount Uniacke Hall on February 18, 1959, attended by representatives of
the full school sections involved, and the idea of consolidation was discussed
at length, and the trustees concerned communicated with the ratepayers in the
various districts, resulting in four out of five in favour of consolidation. On December 2, 1958 the Minister of
Education of the Province approved of the consolidation of these five school
sections, and the Municipal School Board acting as agents of the Municipal
Council proceeded to take the necessary steps which has resulted in the opening
of this new school. On May 20, 1971,
due to an increase in enrollment population, an addition to the school was
required. This consisted of a Gym,
modern kitchen, library, and two open area classrooms.
Partially re-printed from the Country Kitchen Recipes book
from the Uniacke District Home and School Association – undated.
“This book is dedicated to our children.”
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