If you’re a Langley Secondary School grad, plan to attend the VIP reception on June 8th. More details on a special scholarship drive, events and registration HERE.  The school opened in 1909 with probably 20 students and over the years was located in a Murrayville cheese factory, in a house, and later, the Langley Central location (which was lost to fire in 1993). If you have memories to share, send them to: [email protected]

Langley Heritage Society president Fred Pepin was part of the original graduating class at the new school when it moved to 56th Avenue in 1949.  His wife Maureen served as Vice Principal from 1984 – 1992.  Memories below were relayed to us by Maureen:

“I spent 8 years as vice principal at LSS and worked with some super administrators and teachers until 1992 when I retired.  We had large grad classes for the first few years (over 400) as the other junior secondaries (Brookswood, Poppy, Stafford, etc)) were just opening up and most Langley grads travelled by bus from all over the municipality to LSS for grade 11 and 12.   I looked after the grad which was held in the church next door–a very big event with the church very full;  we held the dinner/dance following the grad at various large halls, restaurants, and hotels, usually travelling into Surrey or Vancouver in a bus.  After the return to Langley, there were parties at various homes.  Parents  manned the phones to arrange for travelling between homes and to the breakfast parties.  What a long day!  It was a good thing that the parents took charge after the dance.  Our system worked well although it was a very strenuous day.

After attending grade 5 and 6 at Aldergrove Elementary,  Fred was in the first class to attend the new high school on 56th. His sister Marie was in the first class which moved part way through the year from Langley High School to Aldergrove Secondary when it opened in 1958.  Many of the LSS  students walked from Langley Central (east end of the City of Langley ) along the highway  to the new  school  which served the entire area of Langley until 1958.  After the rest of the school moved on May 27, 1949, Central became an elementary and lasted until it burnt down in 1993. The first grad class was June, 1949. The first class which went all the way was 1955 (Fred’s class).  So,  as you can see, changes in schools and teachers was extremely common in the forties and fifties.
Because there were so few secondary schools, most of the students in Langley and Aldergrove travelled on the bus and went to the one high school  (LSS) until Aldergrove Secondary  opened.  Fred remembers waiting for that bus which took one group home first and then came back for the Aldergrove students who were driven home in time to do chores.  One time, Fred remembers “thumbing ” from the school to Aldergrove and back to the school again on the same bus to catch that bus home–just for something to do.”

 

Langley Heritage Society president Fred Pepin, beside his trusty sawmill.