When Coquitlam's Mundy Road Elementary was built in 1948, you could get 10 candies for a penny at Goesen's store.
Everyone knew Cape Horn Avenue was named for the southernmost tip of South America because of a sharp turn in the road.
Austin Avenue wasn't yet paved and masses of strawberries grew in nearby fields, according to Coquitlam 100 Years: Reflections of the Past.
Thanks to a post-war economic boom there was a great need for schools in Coquitlam to educate the growing number of children.
Now those memories and more will be shared at a 75th anniversary gathering, organized by the school.
To attend the June 16 event, you can RSVP here.
"This was a great community and I enjoyed teaching here," recalls Kim Kroeker, who taught intermediate grades at Mundy Road from 1981 to 2013.
Kroeker said the school originally taught students from Grade 1 to 7 and became well known for performances, such as Oliver! and Lion King.
When Kroeker began teaching, students learned by "rote." But by the time she retired there were laptops in the classroom and children were being taught critical thinking and problem-solving.
Her daughter, Kelly, now teaches kindergarten at the school for little tykes who spend a full day at the school since a 2011 initiative by the B.C. government to promote learning through play.
Kelly says Winter concerts, hot lunch day, building candy houses and pancake breakfasts are among the special treats for students.
She always knew she wanted to be a teacher and basically grew up at Mundy Road, she told the Tri-City News.
Kelly volunteered in her mom's classroom and so was already "experienced" by the time she began her full-time job at the neighbourhood school in 2016.
In fact, she used to play teacher, organizing lessons for her cousins in her basement at home.
Principal Leann Buteau said the school is organizing a get-together for former staff and students on June 16 from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
There will be items from the last 75 years including photo albums, a time capsule that this year’s students have compiled, a new mural will be revealed and a slide show presented of some of the school’s “great adventures.”
"There will be time to reconnect with friends from the past and relive some amazing memories," Buteau said.
As for Kim and Kelly Kroeker, they said they are looking forward to attending and sharing memories of some of the good times at Mundy Road Elementary.
