On Friday, May 30, Glen elementary school in Coquitlam will celebrate its 100th birthday with a special event. In preparation, Luciano Stella's Grade 4 and 5 students have been studying how their school has changed over the years. From writing tablets to tablet computers and wireless communication, Glen has undergone a dramatic transition. At right are some of the changes Stella compiled...
1913/1914
The original Glen school was a one-room schoolhouse with 13 students aged six to 14 years, with a single teacher overseeing multiple grades.
It had a well pump and there was no electricity so kerosene gas lamps were used.
Outhouses stood out the back and, to keep warm, students and the teacher kept the wood furnace going; firewood was stored in the basement.
In wintertime, the kids would hang up their coats and mitts to dry by the furnace.
The Lord's Prayer began the school day for students.
In the spring of 1914, Glen had an Arbor Day and pupils planted a row of trees along the front of the one-acre property.
The eldest pupils took turns raising and lowering the Canadian flag every school day.
Students studied geography, spelling, grammar, writing, mathematics, British history, Canadian history and nature.
The first teacher was Miss L.C. Howe and she earned $65 per month; she used a blackboard for her lessons.
Students used small chalkboards and writing tablets; quill pens and inkwells were used; hand-writing was considered very important.
Students sat in wooden desks in rows.
Corporal punishment - the strap - was used and teachers were strict.
Students would walk on gravel roads to school on their own and had to look out for bears and deer.
At home the students had chores; students who lived on farms looked after the chickens, cows, pigs and other animals.
Students played traditional games during recess: tag, hop-scotch, hide and seek, marbles, skipping games, Red Rover.
Lunches or snacks were usually carried in tin containers or baskets, or wrapped in a piece of cloth.
Students ate snacks outside during recess: hard-boiled eggs, apples, cheese, homemade bread, cake or cookies, or jelly, jam or peanut butter sandwiches.
Students listened to records played on a gramophone, watched silent movies at theatres in New Westminster and learned how to tell time on analog clocks and had watches.
2013/2014
The fifth Glen school is a French immersion school with 20 classrooms (12 English and eight French immersion) and 482 students from kindergarten to Grade 5.
Glen has a principal, vice-principal, secretary, 32 teachers and 17 support staff.
It also has three bathrooms each for girls and boys, a library, gym, multi-purpose room, computers, internet, elevator, photocopier, a radiant floor heating system, a security system and sprinkler system.
Some students walk to school on their own and many are either walked or driven to school.
Students usually sit in groups instead of in rows.
Classrooms are inclusive.
Students use pencils, mechanical pencils, ballpoint pens, gel pens, felt markers, fine liners and pencil crayons.
Ms. Swayne's Grade 4 students are part of a One to One project and do their work on laptop computers.
Teachers use whiteboards, computers, projectors and Smart Boards, which are connected to the internet, in the classroom.
Every classroom has a phone and teachers use email to communicate with one another.
Students can use the internet for research and for completing assignments.
Students play tag, soccer, basketball or skipping games, or go on the adventure playground during recess.
Some students bring video games and cellphones to school.
School subjects include spelling, reading, writing, science, math, social studies, health and career planning, PE, music, art and French as a second language for the Grade 5 kids.
Students take part in the annual Terry Fox Run, Halloween activities, winter/christmas concert, dance festival, Kilometre Club, Music Monday, Spirit Days, hot food days, and sports day.
Grade 5 students can join the volleyball and basketball teams.
Students listen to music played on radios, iPods, CD Players, iPads and laptop computers.
Students watch educational videos and movies on televisions with DVD players, laptop computers and online.
