Forever friends
For 70 years, alumni of R.H. King Academy have held reunions — a tribute to a great teacher’s legacy
For 70 consecutive years, alumni of R.H. King Academy have organized reunions, but this year went a step further: a group of fresh-faced students welcomed them back to the very place they all came to know one another, to commemorate the values of friendship instilled in them years before.
With tiaras donned, the remaining class of1947 — all in their late 80s — paid tribute to the legacy of a woman they credit as the glue that kept them together: their teacher, Alice Carnaghan.
“She taught us how to do shorthand and how to use a typewriter,” said Norma Hardy, 87.
“These gifts might have gone out of fashion, but Miss Carnaghan also taught us that friendship will never be obsolete.”
The class originally had a count of 22 students; there were 10 at the gathering.
“Through the years we have stayed friends, and we sincerely hope you have the same privilege we have enjoyed to make good friends while you’re at this place who will stay with you for a long, long time,” continued Hardy, addressing the current students.
Carnaghan co-ordinated the first reunion — over the years, this eventually switched to Hardy, who planned the event Wednesday morning at the Scarborough high school, one of the oldest in the area, with a student body of 1,250. The school was formerly called Scarborough Collegiate.
Students assisted the all-female party as they made their way to the school’s grounds, where a fresh plaque made out to the adored teacher hung from a newly planted tree.
Simon Pan, 15, walked arm-in-arm with Mary Jean Zissoff, who inquired if he had a girlfriend.
“I just wanted to see what it would be like to see 70 years of friendship,” he said.
“The quality of it is really high and compared to kids our age, there’s a huge contrast.
“It’s not quite the same,” he said, adding that advances in technology can mean a decline in genuine social connection.
Student Morgan Harris said some were “shocked” by the school’s transformation since graduation — particularly the number of computers in one of its labs.
“After 70 years, you change a lot,” she said.
“The school, technology. It’s pretty cool that they’ve all stayed in touch this long and are so committed.”
Local school trustee Parthi Kandavel said the visit is a testament to the profound, lifelong impact teachers can have on their pupils.
“In this day of the number of followers you have, it’s more about the quality of friendships that last the test of time,” he said.
“A brilliant message to our, perhaps, newer students.”
The school’s principal, David Rowan, called the students ambassadors for their maturity and inclination to help facilitate the event.
“We have visitors quite frequently, so it’s one of the things I like to do: open up the school, showcase the students and the work teachers are doing,” he said.