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General
Brock Public School
by
David L. Newman
In
1797 you couldn't see the forest for the trees around here. Then,
for various reasons, it was decided to build a settlement and call
it Sandwich.
What
lay ahead for this settlement, entire books have been written. But,
I'd like to devote a page to tell you about a little piece of land
in this old community.
I
speak of the odd shaped plot on the Southwest corner of Sandwich
and Brock Streets, where General Brock Public School now stands,
named after a famous British/Canadian military figure, Major General
Sir Isaac Brock. Sit back, close your eyes and imagine walking on
this same land nearly 200 years ago. In 1808 a store barrocks was
the first building on this site. Perhaps you and the General
are in the barrocks planning the invasion of Detroit with Chief
Tecumseh.
 By
1868, the war was long over and the town was growing fast. The need
for a school became paramount. Postcard #1 (left) shows the "Sandwich
Public School, on Bedford St., now Sandwich St. in Sandwich, Ontario,
Canada", which I presume to be Sandwich's first school. The postcard
is dated 1909 and the back reads, "òThis is a picture of the school
that I attended in Sandwich." The school had a fireplace at
each end and a steeple with most likely a bell. This school was
in use until the school year 1914-1915.
In
1915, General Brock Public School was built. Not many people
know this but the school built in 1868 still remained! This
newer school was built around it. Once the new school was
built, most of the older part was taken down; the second school
stood for 84 years.
In
1999, after much deliberation, General Brock was torn down.
In early May of 2000, the official opening of the new Ge neral
Brock Public School took place.
This
new school has several innovations, including a branch of the Windsor
Public Library. Student population can go as high as 450 children.
There are 18 classrooms, all containing a collapsable wall, which
when opened, allows two classes to work together. There will
also be no more "teacher, I need to go get a drink." Each room has
its own sink and water fountain. There are two gymnasiums
with a folding door between them to allow two classes to use the
gym simultaneously.
The
Windsor Police Department also has a precinct in the school;
the Sandwich Community Patrol has 26 officers working in this precinct.
There is even a day care centre in the school: Sundowners Day Care
and Resource Centre, which can handle as many as 70 youngsters.
It
took some special planning to make a school as functional as General
Brock. This school is sure to remain a major asset to the
Towne of Sandwich for many years to come.
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