1909
Construction of the NORMAL SCHOOL building was completed adjacent to the MODEL SCHOOL. There were now two separate schools on the site.
The women were marching (suffragettes), the men were caught in gambling raids, Vancouver was on a constriction binge and the value of the MODEL SCHOOL property was $5,824.00
School enrollment was up and in order to supply the urgent need for certified teachers, the NORMAL SCHOOL graduated two classes of teachers per year, a preliminary and an advanced.
Vancouver was emerging as an architectural paradise! The Sun Tower, Dominion Building and Birks Building were constructed shortly after the NORMAL AND MODEL SCHOOLS.
An interesting feature, especially on the larger buildings was the cupola. It was designed for ventilation, but some say that it “signified the Power of God.’
World War I took the boys out of school to fight for their country and the girls volunteered with the Red Cross, thereby decreasing demand for teachers in the province. NORMAL SCHOOL enrollment was also down.
Even though fashion and the times in Vancouver were drastically changing, sports were popular diversion from academic studies and everyone played everything! Teams were very competitive within the NORMAL SCHOOL, especially in basketball and field hockey.
