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By Reta L, Dickson From Cider Press Having receivsd numerous requests to' write an article on our early school days, _I am about to keep a resolution: I made, to do so in January 1979. The first memorable event to me was the burning of the "Old White Brick."Standing on the wooden plank sidewalk, beside our teacher, Miss Euphemia Allen, the burning made little impression on me as I had gone to school only a very short time. To som.e of the senior pupils it was probably hilarious seeing their school go up in flames. They thought it would provide a long holiday. However this jollity was short-lived as the alert energetic trustees soon found accommodation for us. To some parents, the burning may have been considered a blessing in disguise, because a few years previously the dread epidemic diptheria had caused many pupils to become dangerously ill, some fatally. Names of the latter may be seen engraved on several tomb-stones'in the Burgessville Cemetery. The old over-heated furnace was apparently the cause of the fire. It was located in a damp dug-out cellar which was warm and moist, an ideal place for the propagation of disease germs. The old school was very, very old and would have ultimately been razed before too many years had passed. It faced east and to enter one of the two rooms you climbed long old wooden steps to a platform. off which were the entrances to lhe classrooms. Inside, everything was very old and dismal. The Those early school days in Burgessville During the last 52 years, the residents of Burgessville have been accustomed to seeing the School on High- way 59 booming with ac- tivity. At the end of this school year Maple Heights, will no longer be a school facility for the Oxford County board of education. Maple Heights started as a Continuation School in 1927 and served the Burgessville residents until 1943. In 1948 the Burgessville students -- A., -u..-,¢ nu: Burgessville school facility for the Uxtoru County board of education. In 1ffl the present North Maii1e11eigltts started asa Norwich Public School was Continuation School in 1927 opened and Burgessville had and served the Burgessville three. 'separate school residents until 1943. In 1948 buildings, all housing the Burgessville students _ students. V were able to attend _ the JV In June_oi 1974 the old S.S. Norwich District High .No. 3 closed, its doors to School and the Norwich" regular classes, and Township school board took reopened them as a museum over the building. It then school. becameknown as S.S.No.3A With the declining By W. Fowler, North Norwich Public School Staff last 52 year?, object that really stands out in my memory is "The Old Arm Chair" standing in the front left-hand corner. It was a disgrace to any pupil who occupied it, If you were particularly garrulous and caught incessantly chat- tering you were escorted, weeping, to the "Old Arm Chair" where you remained for a week, vowing never to be so humiliated again. However this resolution was usually broken, for what else was there to do but whisper when your seat-work was completed and you were waiting idly'for your class to be called? No sup- plementary reading books or interesting seat-work was provided to keep you oc- cupied and out of mischief. Luckily, we had a very competent conscientious teacher in the person of Miss Allen, who drilled us well in the three "Rs" and phonics with the result that we became quite tolerable readers in that old brown- covered; "rat, cat, hat" primer. But if conditions in the old school were poor, they were certainly preferable to our accommodations after the fire. We Juniors, were located in the Templars' Hall, a white frame building on Church Street East on the site of the present residence of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Hughes. Later this hall was moved just north of the store and became the first telephone office. Later it was completely renovated and additions added making it the pleasant residence of Mr. and Mrs. Wally Orth. It was fortunate that this hall was available and could be made into a classroom in short order. Between the two long rows of benches, the central aisle led up to a high and was used as' a com- munity meeting place. With a new addition in the. early 1950's, the school building was ready to take the overflow of students from the other township schools. Now Burgessville ‘had the two school buildings, Maple Heights No, 3A and the present day Museum School, ss. No. 3. Platform, where there was a table and chair for the teacher and the "Honour Roll" chair for the pupil obtaining the highest monthly/marks. If fortunate enough, or unfortunate, to be the occupant of this chair, you could look down haughtily on the occupants' of the seats below. However if the leg of this chair just happened to slide into the knot-hole in the floor, this pupil was hurled to the floor below, amid the laughter of the other pupils and one? gained the teacher's at- tention. Then if a place was available in the circle of chairs that the teacherhad thoughtfully placed around the stove, you were allowed to move. There you satsmot only until you were defrosted, but until your legs were practically seared, because a chance to sit by dignity quickly lost, while the boys seemed to be guiltily snickering. did they know how that chair leg seemed'to be so near the knot-hole? NatUrally We had no desks, only. planks nailed to the back of .the benches ahead. Three pupils were seated on these benches, one at each end and one in the middle. The pupil next to the aisle had the advantage of sitting next to the huge round wood- stove which seemingly had to be constantly replenished by the older boys. When the pupils next to the wall were so extremely chilled that their teeth chattered and their fingers were too numb to write, they frantically waved their hands till they enrolments throughout the township, Maple Heights closed its doors to the Burgessville senior students in the fall of 1978. - _ This past year Maple Heights has housed a Grade 3-4 class along with the Family Studies and In- dustrial Arts programs for North Norwich, Norwich, Otterville and East. Oxford schools. In June of this year, Maple Heights will once again clo'se its doors. For hundreds of students -Maple Heights has been and will be their school. Regardless of what 'now _ I 214:..- “an "~15“wa --- happens to the building, it's educational history is part of the past, a part which cannot be completely erased, because its heritage is in the lives of people. There were no con- veniences but we did have cold drinking water out of the granite cup chained to the pump. While. the pupils were really hilarious," not so the parents. They were happy to see us so happy but there was much grumbling about the heavy taxes which would not be imposed on ss. 3. The cost of the, school had As no playground was available at either school, we were delighted on that spring morning in 1905 to be told to collect our books and slates and prepare to march up to the new school (now the School Museum). Now we not only had a school yard which provided three small baseball diamonds but a beautiful new school. Burgessvil1e's two-room North School will be con- verted into a school museum if Oxford County Board of Education has funds available in 1974. While we Juniors were receiving some education under these conditions, the Seniors were housed up- stairs in a large two-storey white frame warehouse on the corner, where Jim's Garage now stands. The upper room quickly became a class-room taught by the principal, the late Philip Hendershott. To facilitate teaching the Mupus. I 1 older pupils, Jr. and Sr. _ Second (now called Grades 3 _ , and 4) a monthly magazine Early school da 1 called "School and Home" A ' was subscribed for by each' All the pupils were thrilled d " pupil. It contained not only with their new clean shining pw. Money was very scarce sufficient seat-work in school. The windows shone; In those days. Inside, English and arithmetic but the floors shone and the Cheekef‘s Proved an in- interesting supplementay desks shone. To retain this tere?t/ng diversion, reading. Teachers, glow, some of the girls especially When the teacher, seemingly, became brought from home cloths became so involved that he discouraged trying to teach dampened with coal-oil. I forgot to Watch the clock under such unsatisfactory was not allowed to do this,as As soon as the school yard conditions, because they my mother insisted that was dry, baseball or football , resigned periodically. coal-oil would eventually becamethe order of the dry. l While we Juniors were remove the varnish and This .was especially In- receiving some education ultimately I would have the teresting when games were under these conditions, the shiniest desk. We were .arra.nged between neigh- Seniors were housed 110- especially happy when the bouring schyls. stairs in a large two-storey school board hired our first However inconvenient the white frame warehouse on teacher, Miss Allen who had "Old Brick" was, from it the corner, where Jim's resigned earlier ii; become P?ny successful graduates Garage now stands. The Mrs. Jim Dennis. became doctors, dentists, The project was proposed earlier by the elementary dergarten class and class principals' aMociation. The from Norwich Public School. association will be .reNon- Trustee Muriel Bishop felt 1 sible for tlrAPizati,0.?, the school project would be a l development and use, while good teaching aid. . the board gays operating ,, Abudget study meeting is v' costs and maintenance. l planned by the board for Proposed operating budget' December 3. Teaching mutt have been very difficult with only one blackboard about "ti'x8' iin which the teaehercwrote the primary work. Proposed operating budget' is $3,300. Dr. H. w. Hedley,. superintendent of elementary instruction, reported to the board that the principals propose to have one room used for displays of items related to early schools and education in Oxford. The other room would be tur.. nished and used " a teaching area where classes Could go to experience the school atmosphere of the past. the stove came usually about once a day. If you became thirsty, you tried to forget about it, rather than drink tepid water from the com- munal dipper in the pail at the back of the room. Burgessville school _ may become museum , he would be requirdCti; replace the shattered win- Outside, heavy snow falls, which seemed to be customary provided the boys with snow forts and snowball fights. Alas for the boy whose snowball accidentally broke a window. He was not only duly reprimanded at school but quite possibly had the punishment duplicated at home when father learned Now instead of that old fat elementary and secondary stove we had hot water teachers, civil servants, radiators. Sad to say, they private secretaries and were usually cold until the _ . first recess, but if lucky we pr Tltnent. far mers. A photo were then allowed to lean of the pupils may be seen irr against them. We kept warm the scrooih1aseu_m but very _ at recess by playing running few pupils, even in the) games in our spacious _ primary row, are still with; basements, when "Sheep, us V 1 Sheep Come Home," "Pops, VI 1 .- a - t _ _ w-,) Pom, Pull Away," “London 1 l Bridge". and "Drop the Handkerchief" were en- joyed. far exceeded the first e§timates. Also, many 1iPpproved of the arc Chltecture, saying it was more suitable fora jail. Also why did it not face the road as the old school had? The s, reason was _that thel Department of Education in Toronto had issued in- structions that all new schools must have windows at the left and back of the pupils. The principals) association would train teachers on how to use the school in their teaehintrpryraT. The sihool," built in 1905, is presently in use, housing a Burgessville area kin- However inconvenient the "Old Brick" was, from it many successful graduates beéame doctors, dentists, As soon as the school yard was dry, baseball or football became the order of the day. This was especially in- teresting when games were arranged between neigh- bouring schools. elementary and secondary teachers, civil servants, private secretaries and prominent farmers. A photo of the ‘punils may be seen irr