Acton District School turns 100 in 2027, and it wants help from the generations who passed through its halls. The school is asking past students, families, staff and anyone else in the community to share artifacts, photos, memorabilia and memories as it prepares to showcase its first century.
Old class photos, yearbooks, trophies, programs, stories and personal keepsakes are all welcome. Anyone with items or memories to share, or questions, can call the school at 519-853-2920 or email [email protected].
The memories are headed for a three-day weekend celebration from Friday, June 11 to Sunday, June 13, 2027. According to the school's anniversary page, an organizing committee of alumni and former and current staff is planning the weekend for all of Acton, not just the school community. The school describes its 2027 graduates as its 100th graduating class.
The school, long known as Acton District High School, traces its roots to 1927. That year, an old stone building on what is now School Lane, near Robert Little Public School, served as Acton's continuation school and high school. Continuation schools offered high school grades in Ontario towns too small to have a full high school of their own.
A rapid jump in enrolment brought a new high school on Acton Boulevard in 1954, and it grew with additions in 1955, 1959 and 1972. That building is now McKenzie-Smith Bennett School. The present school at 21 Cedar Road officially opened on Nov. 29, 1977. The school's motto is the Latin "Lux sit," meaning "Let there be light."
The school is also selling 100th anniversary merchandise. Registration for the anniversary events and more details will be posted on the school's website.
