Dear Editor:
I went to a doubleheader this past weekend. No, I wasn't soaking up the sun at Nat Bailey. The Vancouver Canadians' baseball season is already in the rearview mirror after another glorious playoff run, culminating in them winning back-to-back championships.
I was celebrating "glory" of another kind. It's the kind that was neither built in a day nor in a season.
The first glorious occasion was on Friday evening, when Burnaby's Nelson Elementary School opened its doors to the public and, in particular, to its alumni to mark its centennial (1912-2012).
I met students who'd graced those hallowed halls as far back as the 1920s.
Proudly sporting my commemorative T-shirt, courtesy of principal Dino Klarich, I spoke with one lady who was trying to find her name on one of the dozens of original, handwritten class rosters posted in the gym, which had been transformed into a fascinating museum of 20th century history, pop culture and memorabilia.
Pointing to her Grade 7 class in the early 1940s, she explained to me the reason it had a whopping 54 students was due to a teacher shortage during the Second World War, as young teachers were needed in the war effort.
My second brush with glory came on Saturday morning, when I attended Buckingham Elementary's 50th anniversary celebration (1962 to 2012). A relative pup compared to Nelson, Buckingham nevertheless boasts a proud history.
As principal Gregory Walters put it to the audience, Buckingham has been the "crown jewel" of the community over the last half-century - a fact that did not go unacknowledged by a certain regal namesake.
In an official letter from Buckingham Palace, sent on behalf of the Queen, Her Majesty conveyed "her warm good wishes. to all concerned in this most special anniversary year."
These milestones that seem to be coming at a brisk pace for the Burnaby School District, bringing past and present students and staff together in celebration and remembrance, are the fruits of the careful forethought and labour of our forefathers and foremothers. They built such schools to ensure we would have the highest quality public education institutions in Burnaby, not just for everyone, but forever.
Harman Pandher, Burnaby school trustee
