The architect who designed the school and supervised its construction was Mr. Clark Pearson. He has recently retired but still lives in Mississauga. In 1955, a further six rooms were added at a cost of $67,300.00 and, in 1956, two more at $40,000.00. Since then, as you know, kindergarten rooms and general purpose rooms (library, gym) have been built.
The original school was staffed by an outstanding group of teachers. Mr. Finlayson, Doug Read, Rita Lambert, all went on to positions of added responsibility in the Peel system. (As a matter of fact, many of our former staff members over the years have now assumed very important roles in our educational system.)
The Westacres Community were very supportive of the educational system. (Nothing has changed here, folks.) One of the strong trustees who represented our area on the Board and served as Chairman for two years was Mr. Alan Bradley. (And one of his daughters is a present staff member at Westacres.) And we must mention the children and grandchildren of Mr. Chic Murray a former Mayor of Mississauga, who also live in and attended our school. What a neighbourhood!
(From left to right)Thomas Jackson, Deputy Reeve, Twp. Of Toronto, Reverend Lawrence A. Purdy, Applewood United Church, Leslie Hughes, Chairman, Board of Education, A.B. Lucas, B.A., B.Paed, President Ontario Education Association, and G.W. Finlayson, Principal Westacres Public School.
The park and school relationship that exists at Westacres was a pilot project later repeated in other communities. (I guess that it was successful here.)
The third school in Applewood Acres is located on Melton Drive, east of Stanfield where the Dixie Catholic Board built on 3.85 acres of land purchased from the Lloyd Leaver Estate.
The Dixie Catholic Board was constituted in November of 1953 due to the dedication and vision of Father Healy and Applewood Acres resident Ed LeMay. The Dixie Catholic Board undertook the building of its second school, St. Edmund, on Melton Drive, in 1959. The original purchase price was $7,500 per acre. Ed LeMay, who served as an elected member on the school board, is also noted in Chapter 11.
St. Edmund was designed by Servos and Cauley and constructed for $75,000.00 by Brampton Home Builders. By September 1961, St. Edmund housed 109 students in grades K, 3,4,5 & 6 while St. Patrick had the students in the remaining grades.
In 1962, the Dixie Catholic Board became part of the combined Roman Catholic Separate School Board. The first addition to St. Edmund School was in 1963. While St. Patrick was closed in 1967 and later served as the first Dufferin-Peel Board Office, St. Edmund continued to grow and change. Portable classrooms were added as numbers and classes increased.
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