Judi Stevenson carefully unpacks a bubble-wrapped wooden box. The worn box is about the size of two decks of cards, and held together with the same small metal clasps that have done the job for 100 years.
Stevenson, the district archivist for the Greater Victoria School District 61, lifts open the lid to reveal an old geometry kit compiled of fine metal tools with ivory handles and an ivory ruler.
B次元官网网址淭his was donated from a school that was keeping it in a filing cabinet, but it deserves to be taken care of,B次元官网网址� Stevenson says.
The geometry set is one of tens of thousands of items in SD61B次元官网网址檚 collection, much of which Stevenson has curated, organized and even moved a couple times.
| Judi Stevenson, School District 61 archivist, shows a 100-year-old geometry set, which features ivory tools. (Nicole Crescenzi/B次元官网网址 Staff) |
B次元官网网址淟ast time it took 24 truck loads to move everything,B次元官网网址� Stevenson says, noting that now the items are being temporarily stored in the basement of SJ Willis while a permanent site is being decided upon.
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The items come from schools that are closing or facing large renovations, or from family members going through the estates of deceased relatives who donB次元官网网址檛 know what to do with old items, school photos and textbooks. There are pom-poms from old cheerleader clubs (a favourite item amongst visiting students), old desks, record books of corporal punishments, and attendance lists.
Items range in size from original school doors and signs to pocket books published in 1911 as the childrenB次元官网网址檚 encyclopedia.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a list of all the things they thought kids should know,B次元官网网址� Stevenson says as she as she leafs through the book. B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址榃hy do we perspire?B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� you couldnB次元官网网址檛 say sweat thenB次元官网网址� or the geometry of a spiderB次元官网网址檚 web.B次元官网网址�
Some of the items on display at the SD61 school board office include a five-pronged chalk holder for music class, mechanical bells, intricate soap dispensers, hand-made triangles and electric erasers. Every month or so, Stevenson will develop a new display for visitors to see.
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Her most favourite items, however, include those which speak to the mindset of teachers and students at the time. One of these includes something known as the Austin Smith Collection, which came from Sir James Douglas Elementary School.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 little Austin,B次元官网网址� Stevenson says, pointing out a typical looking 12-year old boy in a black and white photo. His collection came with several class photos, report cards and notebooks.
| 'This was what was on his mind,' said SD61 archivist Judi Stevenson. She displays a notebook from a 12-year-old boy in 1941, which was full of war scenes and detailed pictures of war ships. (Nicole Crescenzi/Nws Staff) |
B次元官网网址淭his particular book does me in, B次元官网网址� Stevenson says. B次元官网网址淲henever I try to get the kids to think, B次元官网网址榟ow does a 12-year old think about war when itB次元官网网址檚 happening to him?B次元官网网址� I show them this book.B次元官网网址�
The inside of AustinB次元官网网址檚 notebook from 1941 shows detailed war scenes including planes and warships. On other pages, heB次元官网网址檚 made up a detailed list of schematics of different kinds of warships, including their weight and how many men they could carry. In others books heB次元官网网址檚 glued newspaper clippings about bayonets.
While the curating of school archives is labour intensive, for Stevenson keeping the items allows teachers to show students how things have changed.
B次元官网网址淚f you donB次元官网网址檛 know where youB次元官网网址檝e been, youB次元官网网址檙e not going to know where youB次元官网网址檙e going,B次元官网网址� Stevenson says. B次元官网网址淵ou got there because of what came before, and for the most part kids are very intrigued because itB次元官网网址檚 their world.B次元官网网址�
Stevenson believes a new site for the items has been selected, and is just awaiting final approval.
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