Brookswood high school hits a big milestone

Brookswood school started life as a junior high in 1973.

The 2013-14 school year is its 40th anniversary and organizers of the celebration on April 26 specifically chose to have it this time of year.

When Brookswood Junior Secondary had its first students and staff in September 1973, it sort of didn’t have a building.

H.D. Stafford School existed in the mornings, then the building became Brookswood Junior Secondary in the afternoons – until around Easter, when the current Brookswood school was completed. 

It became a senior secondary school just over a decade later, and has since had three expansions.

The first class graduated in 1986, explained Michelle Allen, one of the organizers of the 40th anniversary celebrations.

“We are inviting former Brookswood students and staff, as well as the families and communities of Brookswood, to walk through our halls, meet with old friends, and remember 40 years of Brookswood history,” she said.

The event runs this Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Highlights include: nostalgic displays, a meet n’ greet of former teachers, theatre productions, an alumni basketball tournament, tours, performances by alumni bands and the current jazz bands.

There’s live concerts starting at 3 p.m. featuring Robyn and Ryleigh as well as Brookswood’s country duo called General Mayhem (popular musician Daniel Wesley and Jeremy Allingham of the band Factories and Alleyways.). Both former students will reunite on stage for the anniversary.

“The thing that ties us together is that we both used to play in a band in high school together. It was called General Mayhem,” Allingham said.” We did pretty well for ourselves as 17-18 year olds, playing plenty of shows around the Lower Mainland and even winning the XFM Battle of the Bands – that ages us a bit. Our band broke up, as many teenaged bands do…. Over the years, we’ve re-connected, become best friends again and we are also both new dads. So we decided, why not dust off some of our old tunes again.?”

Throughout the day people can wander the buildings or take a guided tour.

The parent advisory committee has sponsored a hospitality room and there will be activities around the school, such as displays in the film studio, woodworking area, and auto departments.

There will also be memory rooms for each decade, displays in the library and about the international student program.

More information is available at www.brookswoodsecondary.com/40 or www.facebook.com/Brookswood40.