C. F. Cannon Public School
Dr. C. F. Cannon Public School is located in the Lakeview neighbourhood of Oshawa. It officially opened in May 1958 and is still active today. The elementary school offers classes to kids in grades K-8 and was named in honour of Oshawa’s previous Director of Education and Public School Inspector, Dr. Cecil. F. Cannon. He was in attendance at the opening, at the time serving in the role of Director of Education for Ontario. His contributions to educational policy, and school development helped shape public education in Durham.
The school was built during a post-war “baby boom” that demanded more educational facilities. As Cannon noted around the time of the school’s opening:
“In 1944 there were 640,000 children attending elementary and secondary schools in Ontario. Now there are 1,200,000 and more than 3,500 new schools and additions.”
Dr. Cannon believed that education should extend beyond academic knowledge. He emphasized that schools must prepare children to make a living while also passing on cultural traditions and a commitment to truth and heritage.
He once stated: “Education is what you don’t forget after you finish school.”
And quoting Queen’s University’s principal, he said: “We are never completely educated, as life is in itself an education bringing new experiences each day.”
Less than two years after its opening, the school underwent construction for an addition, which opened in November 1959.
Dr. C. F. Cannon Public School continues to thrive as a diverse and active learning community. It promotes student involvement through programs like Crime Stoppers, and in June 2023, a Grade 6 music class performed Indigenous music using hand drums, xylophones, and flutes to celebrate the Scugog Carrying Place Trail.
With info from:
J. Douglas Ross, Education in Oshawa: From Settlement to City, (1970), 178.
Olive French manuscript, accessed from: https://olivefrench.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/school-namesakes
