A group of WDSS students, staff, and concerned community members are striving to ensure that memories from WDSS are still around long after the doors of the school have closed.
“We want to maintain the integrity of our schools, and preserve memories and memorabilia from WDSS,” committee member Ang McDougald said.
As of April 2012, Walkerton District Secondary?School, Walkerton?Public School and Brant Central School will come together under one roof in a new JK-12 school. However, work for the committee has already begun in anticipation of the demolition of the high school’s east hall, or Paisley Hall, so called for the group of students from the village who regularly gathered there to hoot at passersby in days gone by.
The committee is asking anyone who owns murals or wall art hanging around the east hall to contact them about claiming or donating the works.
The committee also held a silent auction last Wednesday night for  memorabilia including school crests, an abacus and other pieces of “outdated technology”. Money raised at the auction will go towards projects planned by the committee including the creation of an archive, and a Book of Memories.
“The auction was a great success and we’re planning another,” said committee member Jen Klemm.
The Historical Committee has also contacted Karen Burr, vice principal of Walkerton Public and Brant Central in hopes of preserving memories from those schools as well.
“We’re always looking to grow,” Klemm said.
Anyone interested in keeping the heritage of Walkerton schools alive is urged to contact the committee by email (historical.committee@gmail.com) or through their Facebook group, entitled “Memories of Walkerton Schools”.