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“Since 1945, some of the public schools of Stephen Township were under administered by the Stephen Township School Area Board. Various school sections had decided to join the township area at various times. At this point the Township Board administered Grand Bend school too. After much discussion and controversy it was decided to build a central school on Concession 10 Lot 11. This location was chosen after much deliberation on the part of the trustees. Ross Brown (Chairman), Harold Fahner, Don Flear, Ralph Weber and Melvin Douglas. Architects were Riddle, Conners, Falls and Irvine. The school is a modern, 12 room school with a gymnasium and library.
Students from the township, including Huron Park, were bussed to the new school in September 1966. The official opening of the school was held on May 11, 1967, with the Honourable William G. Davis, Ontario Minister of Education [and later Premier], as guest speaker. Board of education chairman Ross Brown accepted the keys to the school from architect Howard Falls. Brigadier G.M. Smith of Bayfield, a director of the Ontario School Trustees Association, presented a memorial Bible. Greetings were expressed by Robert McKinley, Huron MP and by Orville James, president of the school’s student council.
The staff members were: principal Ron Heimrich; vice-principal, Donald Finkbeiner; teachers Katherine Becker, Margaret Brown, Margaret Duncan, Stanley Haist, Helen Jameson, Helen Kleinstiver, Sharon Lightfoot, Marion McLean, Sandra Pridham, Jay Skillender, and Lenore Trott. The staff also included: secretary Sharon Zurbrigg; public health nurse Helen West and custodian Jim Laye. The 1966 enrolment was about 420 students.
The Ontario Ministry of Education established school boards on a county-wide basis in 1968. Trustees were elected on a regional basis for the Huron County Board of Education. The board’s administrative offices were located in Clinton. Principal Ron Heimrich transferred to a school near Keswick in 1968 and Donald Finkbeiner became principal and Sharon Soldan vice-principal.
The 1991 staff at the school includes: principal John Siertsma; kindergarten teachers Monica Elliot and Mildred Desjardine; grade 1 teacher Marlene Thornton; Pam Rowell, Grade 2; Jay Skillender Grade 3; Valerie Thomson, Grade 4; Howard Lawrence, Grades 5 and 7; Donna Miller, Grade 6; John Siertsma, Grade 7; Adriaan Brand, Grade 8; Don O’Rourke, Grade[s] 3-8, French; Jayne Lasenby, Grade 5 and school librarian; Jean Weigand, music and Mary Lou Atthill, school resource teacher. Other staff members are teacher assistants; Pam Bell and Nancy Finkbeiner; school secretary Mary Ann Bender; custodian Jim and Mark Laye and area resource teachers Marg Nicholson and Linda Easton. Bus drivers for the school are Sharon Gibson, Debbie Obre, Donna Clarke, John Pritchard and Larry Ryan.”
extracted from “The History of Stephen Township”, by Susan Muriel Mack, 1992; pgs. 313-316