Four former 91原创 Secondary students returned to the halls of their old school in May, a full 70 years after they graduated.
The members of the class of '55 were Bill Forrest, David Smith, Phil Miskulin, and Sam Omelaniec, all longtime 91原创 residents.
They were the first class to pass through all six grades at the then-new facility, which was known at the time as 91原创 Junior and Senior Secondary, enroling students from all over the community for Grades 7 through 12.
The four alumni got a tour of the building, which has seen multiple waves of renovations and expansions since they graduated. They were members of a graduating class of 112.
A few portions of the original building, with internal walls covered in wood slat panels, still exist, but most of the building is now new, with more additions to come over the next year.
The former grads met with some of the next generation of students, including a social studies and AVID course, which is aimed at preparing students for post-secondary education.
The four men had varied careers. Omelaniec operated his family's concrete pipe business, which he worked in from a young age, including being lowered down wells to help with their construction. Miskulin operated a steel fabrication shop in 91原创 for many years and still takes a hand in the business. Forrest studied electrical work and spent his career with GE and the Vancouver General Hospital. Smith was a fire lookout on Vancouver Island before involvement in the local church led to him becoming a minister.
The seniors grew up in a very different society from the current generation.
Several of them recalled incidents of corporal punishment doled out by teachers at LSS in the 1950s, or of writing 500 lines, with Forrest remembering he had to write 500 lines for chewing gum, and another 500 once for talking too much.
They also told the students about rationing of items such as sugar during the Second World War, and air raid practice during a time when there were fears of a Japanese invasion of the West Coast.
They shared memories of taking the B.C. Electric Railway from 91原创 all the way into Vancouver and spending days at Stanley Park 鈥� a trip modern students won't be able to replicate until the Surrey-91原创 SkyTrain extension is finished in 2029.
One student asked what their best memory was of growing up in 91原创.
"The association of the kids together, we were like one family," Omelaniec said. "There was one cop for all of 91原创 when I was a teenager," he noted.
"We used to say that we grew up when the community raised the children," said Smith. Everyone knew everyone within a four-mile radius, he explained.
They were also asked about dress codes in the 1950s.
Forrest noted that at the time, students wore casual clothes, but not blue jeans. Jeans were considered work clothes for farmers at the time.
Teachers were excited to talk to the grads of '55, with Miskulin, who owned and operated a steel fabrication shop in 91原创 most of his life, checking out the metalwork shop. Other teachers checked out Forrest's copies of the high school yearbooks from the year they graduated.
