"There was a one-room schoolhouse on the reserve in the early 1940's. It was run by the Department of Indian Affairs. Even so, there was 10 to 15 students from here that attended the Residential School in "Shubie" during my school years. People from here had been going there since it opened in 1932. We were beaten for speaking Mikmaq.

It was around the late 1940's when the Department of Indians Affairs began the Centralization of all Mikmaq on larger reserves at Eskasoni and Shubenacadie. Because of this, many people left here to live in Eskasoni. When left, their houses were burned. The old, one room school- house was torn during this time, and the community was without a school for least 5 years. Eleven families had stayed on the reserve, and they did well because there was lots of land for them to farm after everyone left. But, of those families that stayed here, moat children stayed home. In that day Catholics wouldn't even think of going to a Protestant school and vice-versa. Since the only other schools around were Protestant (Provincial Schools), there was a need to have a school built on the Reserve.

After the school was torn down, the Bishop ordered our Church destroyed because he thought there was no-one living here. Some men whose families were still here went to the Bishop and told him that 11 families were still living here and would not move. The bishop then ordered the Church to remain standing. By the early 1950's families were started to return from where they moved to. They had to start here from scratch because their houses had been burnt. There was no school, so the people got together and told the Government that they wanted a school built.

In 1953 a one-room school was built-right where the elementary school stands now. Christina Chisholm from Margaree was the teacher. As more and more people returned, there were so many students that some had to go to the Mabou Boarding School. There was another wing built on our schoolhouse in the late 1960's, but that the students had to attend in the Hall and Band Office.

By this time the Band was strong, and hired its own teachers, so that in the Federal School there was about a 50/50% split in Federal and Band employees. In (1992-1993), The Band took over the School, and (now we are building a Jr./Sr. High. Hisory!"

The Jr./Sr. High took in grades 7 to 10 in 1994-1995. Then it took 7 to 11 in 1995-1996. In 1996-1997 the school took in grades 7 to 12. We had our first graduates in June 1997.

Click here to go back to the history page.

Click here to go back to the main page.