Generations of students, staff and families have been invited to step back in time as Codrington Public School celebrates a major milestone.
The Barrie school will mark its 75th anniversary today (May 12) with a community celebration that brings together past and present members of the Codrington PS family. The event runs from 4 to 5 p.m. and includes student performances, displays highlighting each decade of the school’s history and time for alumni to reconnect and reminisce.
For Principal Christopher Kemp, the anniversary has underscored just how deeply rooted the school is in the community.
“The history, I think, is the biggest thing,” Kemp said. “I’ve been receiving emails from a Codrington Public alumni group that has about 600 members, including some of the original people that started at the school in 1951. I’ve got some emails, some stories, and some connections to staff.”
He said the stories have given him a new perspective as a new principal at Codrington.
“It’s incredible the history of this building in this community and the things that this building has done for this community as it was building up,” Kemp said. “So it’s been a great historical connection for me being a principal in the 2020s.”
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A key part of the celebration is a “walk down memory lane,” created by students in the junior and intermediate grades. Classrooms throughout the school have been transformed to showcase different decades, starting in the 1950s and progressing through to the present day.
“The kids have all taken part in it, and they have it done by the decades, starting from the 50s,” Kemp explained. “I connected the alumni group, so they’ve been sending pictures from the 50s, 60s, all the way up to the 2020s.”
Each classroom features a mix of historical context and personal connections, including photos of former and current students.
“They’ve done a connection to the actual decade where they have a display about the things that happened in the decade, and then pictures of our students and our alumni inside the classrooms that have all the great things that have happened at Codrington over the last 75 years,” Kemp said.
With the school opening in the early 1950s, Kemp said the anniversary is a reminder of how quickly time passes — and how strong family ties to the school remain.
“I can’t imagine for some of the people in this community and the connections from the families and the grandparents and even great-grandparents that have gone to this school in the 50s,” he said. “So it’s incredible, the connections in this community and the feeling of community that this school has always had.”
The formal portion of the celebration includes musical performances by the school choir and remarks from Simcoe County District School Board representatives and local dignitaries. Cake and refreshments will be served in the lobby, followed by time for guests to explore the decade-themed classrooms.
Codrington Public School is located at 217 Codrington St. in Barrie, and all members of the school community — past and present — are invited to attend.
