Class preserves Kitchener school’s past while preparing for its future

When the final bell of the school year rang out Thursday it also marked the end of a very special student project at Suddaby Public School in Kitchener.

For Lisa, a 9-year-old student, it’s a bittersweet moment.

“I’m excited but I’m still sad because it’s my favourite year,” she explained.

While Cole, 11, was looking forward to spending more time outdoors.

“I’m really excited because in the summer I’m going camping with my family,” he said.

Lisa and Cole, along with a group of their peers, spent the term creating a student documentary about the history of Suddaby Public School.

It was founded in 1857 and is one of the oldest educational institutions in the province.

Claire, 9, was one of the film’s directors.

“I think what surprised me the most was how interesting the history of the school could be [and] how interesting and fun it could be to explore that,” Claire explained.

Students at Suddaby Public School in Kitchener on June 27, 2024. From left to right in the front row: Claire, Lisa, Cole and Boi. (Ashley Bacon/CTV News)

“There was a lot of history, I was kind of surprised,” added Boi, the film’s 10-year-old editor. “You don’t expect there to be so much history in one building, do you?”

Gabriella Bensason, their French Immersion teacher, was inspired to start the project after learning her neighbour had ties to the school. She asked him to visit Suddaby so the kids could interview him, and that’s when they came up the idea for a documentary.

“We’re walking on the same floors of people who worked here 100 years ago,” said Bensason. “We’re looking out the same windows, the same trees are still in the front. Just having that appreciation, I think, is really important for the kids.”

Teacher Gabriella Bensason at Suddaby Public School in Kitchener on June 27, 2024. (Ashley Bacon/CTV News)

There’s also a portrait of founder Jerimiah Suddaby hanging in the school, which was painted by Group of Seven artist A.Y Jackson in 1912.

Victorian classroom closing

Suddaby Public School is also saying goodbye to a part of its past.

The Waterloo Region District School Board announced they’re closing the Victorian-era classroom museum and turning it into a modern learning space.

“The idea of the classroom was really to give students a perspective of what the classroom would have looked like, felt like, what types of things you learned, in that room,” Bensason explained.

One of the Victorian-era desks at Suddaby Public School in Kitchener on June 27, 2024. (Ashley Bacon/CTV News)

The hope is that the documentary helps preserve the school’s past for future generations.

“I’m excited to share this project with everyone because I think it was a great accomplishment,” Claire added.