50th Anniversary of Gander Academy.
 
Believe it or not, that little school on Fraser Road that so many of us attended already has 50 years of history.
 
That history is being celebrated this year via a host of activities, including an open house held around the middle of September.  This included being able to pop in to see classes in progress.  Because I was visiting Gander at the time, I certainly didn't want to miss a chance to sneak a peak at how things had changed (or had remained the same!)
 
I went with my wife Christine and were met at the door by the principal, Wayne Witherall, and a vice-principal, Roger Melendy, which goes to show the importance they attach to the history and the development of the school.
 

We had a bite of the anniversary cake and had a chance to talk to some of the staff.  I found out to my surprise that they were unaware of the present Gander Academy website.  I was therefore extremely happy to help Roger Melendy locate it on the computer  because students had been looking up the history of the school and had already made up a nice booklet on the subject.
 

I then went downstairs to see my old grade 11 class (on the end nearest the UC Church).  As you can see from the photo, the students seem to be a little less boisterous than in my time!! We stopped in to another class and had a great conversation with the students - in French.  That, I must say, is a wonderful change from 40-50 years ago.
 
The age of the students has changed but the enthusiasm and the search for excellence certainly hasn't