One new school is about to open and another will close, setting the stage for what organizers hope will be a tremendous send-off next week for Moody middle school.
On Jan. 12 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., past students and teachers of the school, which was previously Moody junior secondary, are invited to tour the older school and share their memories, aided by memorabilia that is being collected.
“It’s everybody in PoMo who went to one of those schools,” said Jim Nelson, who taught at Moody for 12 years between 1974 and 1986 and met his wife Caryl Nelson there.
The current building is being replaced by a $28.7-million school, which is nearly completed and will open before the school year ends.
But many local teachers and former students remember the school as Moody junior, when it was constructed on the ashes of Port Moody high school, which burned down in 1969.
From 1970 to 1973, Moody junior housed all Port Moody Grade 8 to 12 students. Then, when Port Moody secondary was built, Moody was converted to a junior high for Grade 8 to 10 students.
The school was transformed once again into a middle school in 1997. Now, it’s a school for the arts and 430 students are expected to move into the new digs when they opens in the next few months.
But back in the old days, Moody was a terrific sports school, Jim Nelson recalls, with the football team winning district championships from 1981 to 1985 and many young, passionate teachers joined the staff, who remember it fondly.
Reunion organizers hope the event will attract people from every stage of the school’s development, from 1969 to the present. Those who attend will enjoy a social in the gym, with food and beverages available for purchase, tours, a photo booth and memorabilia displays.
Memorabilia is also welcome; if you have any to share, contact carylnelson@shaw.ca or visit https://www.facebook.com/moodyjunior.middlereunion.
