Students Play Key Role As Richmond Public School Celebrates 100th Anniversary
The year was 1924.
The cheeseburger was invented in Los Angeles.
A loaf of bread cost nine cents.
The Montreal Canadiens beat the Calgary Tigers to win the Stanley Cup.
The first Winter Olympics were held.
And Richmond Public School opened its doors on McBean Street for the first time.
The school celebrated its 100th anniversary May 29. Students and their parents, former students, and local dignitaries joined in the celebration that featured a tour, a display of work by the students, and a special tree planting ceremony to mark the occasion.
“This was a huge undertaking,” Principal Laura Ladouceur said as she addressed the crowd at the official ceremony before the tree planting.
Ladouceur, whose mother was also a Richmond Public School principal and was in attendance for the event, said the celebration took months of planning. She took the time to thank the RPS staff
“The staff have been the ones driving this,” she said. “There was months of planning and deciding what activities and events we wanted to do to showcase our amazing school.”
Ladouceur also said that she wanted the night to be focused on the students.
“Our students have been working so hard,” she said, praising them for the art gallery, bulletin boards and research projects done for the event.
Ladouceur also thanked the school council for their involvement in the celebration.
The tree for the ceremony was donated by Ritchie Feed and Seed in Richmond.
“The tree that they have chosen for us is actually called the celebration maple,” she said. “So it’s perfect. It’s going to grow to be big and beautiful.”
Built After Fire
The Richmond Public School opened in its new location as the Richmond Continuation School on Nov. 14, 1924. However, there was a long history of schools in Richmond that go all the way back to 1820. The village was originally settled in 1818 as a settlement for the British Army. The school in Richmond became the first school in Carleton County.
In 1854, a two-room grammar school was built on Cockburn Street. In 1895, a new building was built to house both elementary school and high school students from the village and surrounding area.
On March 27, 1924, the school burned down. Classes were held in the Orange Lodge and in the town hall until a new school was built. A two-storey brick structure was built at McBean and Martin Streets in Richmond. The location was chosen as it was more central. The school was originally the Richmond Continuation School but eventually became Richmond Public School.
While there have been numerous renovations made to the building (1947, 1958, 1969, 1972, 1997 and 2013), the original school remains the core of the existing facility.
People attending the celebration were able to take a tour of the school that showcased the school’s history for the past century, as well as information on different writing tools and books that students have used through the years.
Among the dignitaries in attendance were Dr. Pino Buffone and Shawn Lehman of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, OCDSB Trustee Lynn Scott and Rideau Jock Councillor David Brown. Ladouceur, on behalf of the school, also accepted a congratulatory scroll on behalf of the Province of Ontario from Carleton MPP Goldie Ghamari.
Jessica Parsons and Aidan Strudwick from the Goulbourn Museum had a photo display of Richmond Public School’s history.
The anniversary gave students a chance to learn about how different school was 100 years ago.
Shawn Lehman of the OCDSB and Councillor David Brown work the shovels during the planting of a celebration maple donated by Ritchie Feed and Seed.
The art show in the gymnasium was a popular spot for parents and members of the community touring the school.
Shawn Lehman and Dr. Pino Buffone of the ODCSB, Richmond Public School Principal Laura Ladouceur, and Rideau-Jock Councillor David Brown took part in the tree planting ceremony at the Richmond Public School 100th anniversary.
Richmond Public School Principal Laura Ladouceur thanked a group of RPS students who played a large role in the 100th anniversary celebration.
