On a Wednesday morning, the 29th of April 1980, Leanne, a Grade 11 student at Prince Charles Secondary School, in Creston BC, called her friend. “Maureen,” she said, “there’s no school today.”
“Why not?” asked Maureen.
“Because there’s no school.”
At about 2:00 AM the night before, fire had broken out in the thirty-year-old building. Within an hour, the structure was fully engulfed and all firefighters could do was hose down nearby residences to keep them from catching fire. By dawn, the school – one of the finest in the Kootenays; home to award-winning band, drama, and art programs; producer of provincial championship sports teams; provider of a vast array of academic and trades programs – was gone.
The Creston Museum has film footage of the fire, and we are planning a major presentation of it, on the big screen at the Tivoli Theatre. We were hoping to do that for the 40th anniversary, but given the current circumstances we’ll have to postpone it. In the meantime, we’d like to recruit your help in putting that presentation together!
- Do you have photos of the school and its activities that you’d be willing to share with us?
- Do you have objects from PCHS/PCSS before the fire – band or sports uniforms, letterman’s letters, text books, equipment, anything like that? Things that you perhaps might have accidentally “forgotten” to turn in at the end of the year? Would you be willing to loan or donate them for the presentation?
- What are your favourite memories of the school? Activities, classes, teachers, places, details, major achievements?
- Least favourite memories?
- Impact of the fire? How did you feel when you saw it burning, or saw the smouldering remains? What was your graduation like, if you were in the Class of 1980 or 1981?
- Getting back to normal – if you were still attending school after the fire, what was it like attending class in the Rec Centre or, later, in all those portables? How did you feel about the new PCSS after it was rebuilt?
- If you were a teacher – can you tell us about these experiences from your perspective?
Share your stories in the comments, via private message on the Museum’s Facebook page, or via email – crestonmuseum@telus.net.
And, for those of you who are teaching or attending school today: You’re in a very similar situation, with not being able to attend classes or share the camaraderie of a school community. we’d love to hear your thoughts on any or all of the questions above, too! What are you missing the most about your school?