I’ve written before about Hillside Public School, a small redbrick building that still stands across from the Toronto Zoo in northeast Scarborough. Many of us Hillsiders travelled from Kindergarten through high school together, and that, I believe, is the magical bond that has joined us for all of these years.
Continue reading “FRIENDS FOR LIFE”Tag: hillside public school
Sing a Song of Sixpence.
I’ve found myself thinking about school lately. You might feel like stopping right here, but please don’t. The memories are all good — and very musical.
The elementary school I attended had only three classrooms, but educated grades one to eight, which equals a grand total of three teachers. In between academics and recess, we did have “music class” from time to time, but our mostly non-musical teachers struggled through these.
Music specialists occasionally visited, including Keith Bissell, who introduced us to the Orff Method of music. I loved every moment, but the visits were few and far between. You can only imagine my delight when, in Grade Six, a bright musical light entered our young lives at Hillside Public School.I wrote the following piece about our wonderful Frances McShane for the Word Weaver, a publication of the Writers’ Community of Durham Region.
The words are so glowing that I’m sure you’ll accuse me of embellishment — that the choir was much better in my memory than in reality — but I have proof! Or had. My lovely mother recorded a Kiwanis Music Festival one year, and as an adult, I was amazed at the fine sound of our tiny group compared to the others. How I wish cassette tapes lasted forever. Continue reading “Sing a Song of Sixpence.”
“They” say you can’t go back, but they’re wrong.
My elementary school years were spent at a three-room “little red schoolhouse”, just north of Toronto. It still stands at the north-east corner of Meadowvale and Finch, kitty-corner to the Toronto Zoo property.
When I hear schoolyard horror stories these days, I’m reminded that my school years were relatively idyllic. They weren’t without social hierarchy, hurt feelings, or arguments, of course, but in hindsight I realize it all worked out well because ninety percent of us went to school together from Kindergarten through high school. We played, learned, and fought together, just like any other family. But a few other things made our years at Hillside Public School truly unique.
Continue reading ““They” say you can’t go back, but they’re wrong.”