Introduction
by John Cardiff

The photo above (or see enlargement) was contributed by Raymond Canon, who describes it as a photo of grades 7 and 8 at North Pulbic School, taken in 1940. Most, if not all, of these students are presumably also in our 1943 photo of Simcoe High School.

Raymond identifies the teacher in the upper left as Morgan House and the teacher in the upper right as Alex. Lemery. "House was one of the finest teachers I ever had. He beat us into shape for SHS."

For the last four decades of the 1800s and the first three decades of the last century, Simcoe elementary school students attended "Union School" later called "Central School" at the top (west end) of Young Street. During the depression, two new elementary schools were built, one in the North Ward, then one in the South Ward. Central School was then demonished to make way for the American Can plant which was coming to town. North School and South School were in turn closed in 2000. South School was sold, demolished and replaced with townshouses. North School still stands, now devoted to other purposes.