Whitehorse says goodbye to old F.H. Collins school

Everybody knew the day was coming, but that didn't make it any less bittersweet. Hundreds of students and teachers, past and present, came this week to say goodbye to a Whitehorse building rich with history and memory.

Thursday was the last day of classes at the old F.H. Collins Secondary School building. When students return after the Christmas break, they'll be heading next door to the brand new, $31 million-dollar F.H. Collins building. The old school will soon be demolished, leaving only the trades wing.

When the old school opened in January 1963, JohnDiefenbakerwas Prime Minister, John F. Kennedy was in theWhite House, and the Beatles were still a little-known band trying to score a hiton the British charts.

The final day at the 53-year-old school was marked by songs, speeches and an elaborate video presentation tracing the fads and fashions that coloured the halls over six decades.

"Each time I turn a corner, it kind ofconjures up a memory," said former teacher MikeCraigen."And they're good memories."