From the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library archives:
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SCI Will Never Die - It Lives on in Our Memories
Sault Collegiate Institute, (SCI) the first high school in the city, was built and completed in May 1907.
Starting out with four classrooms, a science lab, a commercial room, a basketball court and an attic with a stage for assemblies, almost immediately, an addition was needed to meet the high demand for a secondary education.
Before its opening students had been attending continuing education at Central Public School [1896], then they occupied two rooms at the Old Town Hall [1902] and then classrooms continued to relocate over the next few years to accommodate the increasing number of students.
By 1906 the students were occupying the 2nd floor of Cliff’s Book Shop located at 625 Queen St. East.
However by the mid 1970’s, new high schools had been built throughout the city and people had been moving away from the centre of the city so the student population in the city core began to decline.
By 1979, the total number of students enrolled at the school was 451.
As a result, in 1979, the Board of Education trustees made the difficult decision to close Sault Collegiate Institute.
The decision, of course, was not met with approval by all residents.
This decision was protested by students with a march to the Board of Education offices.
During the march the students chanted “SCI will never die” and “Two, four, six, eight, we don’t want to relocate”.
The “Concerned Taxpayers” citizen’s group wrote to the Education Minister to express opposition to the decision.
One individual even applied to the Supreme Court of Ontario for an injunction.
Despite the protests, Sault Ste. Marie’s first high school closed in June 1981.
After the closure of SCI, the building housed the school for French Immersion and then it became a home for a Teen Centre.
The building was demolished in 2001 and construction began soon after on a new senior’s retirement home which became known as Chartwell Collegiate Heights Retirement Residence.
Although the building is no longer standing, the school’s long history is documented through yearbooks and other records available at the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library.
The collection includes all editions of the Sault Collegiate yearbooks, originally called the Annals of the Soo High School, it later became known as the Argus.
The oldest “Annals of the Soo High School” 1915-1916 was the first yearbook produced.
Included in this first edition is a “Roll of Honour” for the 112 men that were “either at the front or in training” in World War 1 and a tribute for the five former students who had lost their lives in the conflict.
Advertisements for businesses at that time include “The Cliff Press”, “W.J. Hesson & Co.”, and “Cochrane Hardware Limited”.
The last yearbook, the “Argus 1981 Final Edition” covers the usual school events including the June 1980 Commencement exercises and the 1981 Winter Carnival.
Notably absent are photos for Grade 9 students – there were no Grade 9s enrolled due to the pending closure.
Some of the notable graduates from Sault Collegiate Institute include artist Ken Danby, Governor General David Johnston and his wife Sharon, author Morley Torgov and professional hockey player Gene Ubriaco.
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Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provides SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.
Find out more of what the Public Library has to offer at www.ssmpl.ca and look for more Remember This? columns here.
