“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys. Welcome to our official opening and solemn blessing of Mary Fix School. It is my pleasure to be the first principal of the school and also to be able to take this opportunity to share with you some of the fond memories that I have of the past two years.

Our roots can be found about 450 meters south of here on undeveloped park property. On August 16, 1976 all you could see was a field of wild weeds. Believe me, I was worried, because I had been appointed principal, had been told where the school was going to be, had ordered the texts and supplies and was blessed with a staff of very competent teachers. I had just returned from a vacation with my family and had expected to start taking new registrations.

Mr. Earl Lagroix, our first superintendent, assured me that the school would be ready on time. Ten portables were moved in during the next week. However, there was no electricity, water or sewers. Our staff of super teachers were chomping at the bit, anxious to prepare their classrooms for opening day. Hydro and water power came into effect during the last week of August. The sewer was connected on Labour Day week-end. Thank heavens for that: Opening day was unreal as scores of new residents tried to squeeze into our office portable to register their children. Do any of you remember that day? Pat Wasdell, our secretary does for sure. We had approximately 250 pupils then, Now we have 525.

Within a month two more portables were added and in December still another. Washroom facilities were become quite cramped. A portable washroom trailer was moved on to the site in December to fill the void. Since there was no running water except in the office portable, teachers had to carry buckets of water to their portables each day. This became known as the bucket brigade.

We had a very rough winter with snow up to our knees most days, but, we survived. Our caretaker, Mr. Luke, used to carry pails of hot water from the office portable to each of the other 12 portables each night to clean the floors.

Our final day in the portable school was June 30, 1977. Our books and other supplies were moved by wagon and trailer from the portables to the Mary Fix permanent school.

We can look back on 1976-1977 with nostalgia because it was a good year, It helped us to develop the good spirit which pervades throughout the school.

Our Education Committee was formed in the early Fall of 1976. The parent representatives worked very hard to act as a liaison between parents and the school. They were the catalysts behind the first bake sale and dance. Through their efforts Mary Fix School was on of the first two schools in the system to hold a Focus on Faith Day.

The school we are in today was on loan to the French-speaking Roman Catholic taxpayers of Dufferin Peel for two years while their school was being built. We were able to use their gym once a week for physical education classes and whenever we wished to have a mass or concert. Mr. Kane, the principal of Rene Lamoureux was most understanding and cooperative.

Many parents worked with us last year. Their numbers have increased, This year we have three times as many, actively involved in lunch supervision, working with individual and small groups of children, driving children to skating and swimming instruction at Huron Park, helping out in the library and in the office.

From this point on, with your cooperation and support, our staff, children and parents shall continue to grow in our Catholic Christian environment.”