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J. L. Forster Secondary Faculty alumni swarmed their previous stomping grounds on Saturday to have a good time the shuttered faculty’s a centesimal anniversary.
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A whole bunch of people that attended or taught on the west-end faculty, which closed in 2014, gathered at St. John’s Parish in Sandwich City to slap on a reputation tag, peruse yearbooks, and embrace buddies they haven’t seen in years.
Reuniting with previous buddies has been “superior,” mentioned Cynthia Vavrouwerff, class of 1990, after about an hour of mingling. “I used to be an athlete. I performed basketball, did observe and area, cross nation operating, I helped with dance committees and promenade — Forster was nice.”
As a part of the centennial celebration, Forster’s picket entrance doorways have been painted purple and white, the varsity’s colors. Alumni have been invited to signal their names on the doorways with markers left within the mailbox.
“Forster within the ’90s was a variety of enjoyable,” mentioned Rebecca Entwistle after signing the door. She attended from ’93 to ’96 and recounted being in a faculty play referred to as Homicide On Centre Stage. “I made the yearbook — it was a reminiscence value remembering.”
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Laurie Sinasac, class of ’81, remembered her time at Forster as “completely carefree and fabulous.” She recalled carrying the identical pair of painter’s pants as two buddies on the primary day of faculty on function so they might match.
“We had enjoyable,” Sinasac mentioned. “I bear in mind dancing to the nationwide anthem — it was cool. It was enjoyable.”
Jamie Fecteau, one in all Sinasac’s matching-pants buddies, mentioned it was “less complicated instances again then,” with no violence within the faculty she will bear in mind.
“Everyone was afraid of the west-end Forster (college students),” Fecteau mentioned with a smile. “We had folks afraid of us, however we by no means had any issues. It was only a nice faculty with nice academics.”
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Visitor column: There’s means ahead for former Foster Secondary Faculty on metropolis’s west finish
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Forster highschool property now belongs to Ambassador Bridge firm
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Forster reunion to have a good time highschool’s 90-year historical past
The college was ceaselessly shuttered due to dwindling enrolment after 92 years at its Felix Avenue location. At its top within the late Seventies, Forster grew to a pupil inhabitants of practically 1,400. Within the years main as much as its closure, that quantity had dwindled beneath 500.
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On the time of its closure, the varsity was seen as a sufferer of seeing as soon as sturdy, household neighbourhoods chopped up, with many houses transformed into college pupil rental properties, or boarded up by the Ambassador Bridge Firm in pursuit of land for its proposed second span.
The bridge firm purchased the varsity constructing in 2016. Within the years since, Canada South Science Metropolis and the Valiants (Ladies) Basketball, have rented area inside.
The college was named after its first principal, John Lyman Forster, who held the reins from 1922 till retiring in 1954.
tcampbell@postmedia.com
