Crichton Street Public School
Encyclopedia
New Edinburgh
New Edinburgh is a small neighbourhood in Ottawa, Canada. It is located to the east of the downtown core. It is bordered on the west by the Rideau River, to the north by the Ottawa River, to the south by Beechwood Avenue, to the east the border is less regular but is marked in part by Springfield...
neighbourhood of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The first school in the village of New Edinburgh opened in 1838. The school moved to Crichton Street around 1875. In 1887, when New Edinburgh was annexed to Ottawa, this two-room school house became part of the Ottawa school board. The original structure was demolished in 1919, and a new structure designed by W.B. Garwick was erected.
Over time enrollment fell, and the school was frequently threatened with closure. In the 1980s it became one of a number of Ottawa area alternative school
Alternative education
Alternative education, also known as non-traditional education or educational alternative, includes a number of approaches to teaching and learning other than mainstream or traditional education. Educational alternatives are often rooted in various philosophies that are fundamentally different...
s focused on independent and unstructured learning. It was eventually shuttered in 1999.
In 2000, The School of Dance
The School of Dance
- The School of Dance – 32 Years of History :The School of Dance was founded by Merrilee Hodgins and Joyce Shietze. It opened its doors on Wellington Street in Ottawa's near west end in 1978 as a nationally registered, educational, charitable, non-profit organization designed to provide...
purchased 200 Crichton.
Community
In 1998, the Grade 6 students at Crichton School participated in the 25th Anniversary celebrations for the Lester B. Pearson BuildingLester B. Pearson Building
The Lester B. Pearson Building is the headquarters of the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. It is located at 125 Sussex Drive in the Lower Town neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, and was built between 1968 and 1973. It is named after Lester B...
, used by Foreign Affairs Canada.
The school had many students whose parents either worked for Foreign Affairs or were foreign diplomats serving in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.