Roslyn School marks 100th anniversary with cornerstone re-enactment

Exactly a century ago, the laying of the cornerstone, marking the start of construction for Roslyn Avenue School, as it was then known, took place. One of the many dignitaries there was former Westmount mayor W.D. Lighthall, who had also been chairman of the school board.

In Roslyn, the Story of a Canadian School, the authors say that John Stewart, a Westmount contractor, was to build the school, which was designed by G.A Ross, a Westmount architect. "He always wore a top hat, striped pants and a dark grey coat to cornerstone layings.," the account says of Ross, adding that "Ladies and gentlemen were there, too."

The ladies wore cut-away jackets with matching skirts and velvet hats with a veil pinned at the back. The men wore tweed morning suits and bowler hats. Babies were wearing frilly bonnets.

A century later, children at Roslyn School gathered in the same spot earlier this week to re-enact the corner stone's laying. Principal James McMorran had planned for a horse drawn cart to deliver the stone to the front of the school.

The festivities were officially launched on Oct. 11 with the inauguration of a symbolic gateway on stage in the school's gymnasium, leading along a path made of stones engraved with the names of parents, friends and families who donated to the Roslyn School Playground Improvement Fund.

Mayor Karin Marks, a Roslyn School alumnus, was on hand last week for the unveiling of the stone walkway. She marveled at how little things have changed over the years at Roslyn. "The benches are the same, the desks are the same with the hole for the inkwell," she said.

"We haven't used inkwells in a long time. It's wonderful. I think what has changed, obviously, is the curriculum. They've updated where they need to, but not unnecessarily. It's a real community school, which is very nice."

Lily MacDonald, a grade four teacher, said her students were very excited about the events, which included the depositing of a time capsule, similar to one embedded in the corner stone a century ago. While the 1907 time capsule is said to contain coins and newspapers of the period, the 2007 version will also contain the signatures of students and staff and the new playground plans.

MacDonald mused on how so much has changed over a century. "A hundred years ago when they looked down from this area, from this plot, they could see the hills of Vermont and the river, and now you look across and there are houses everywhere," she said. "To think they almost didn't want to build here because it was too far away from the city."