Moncton High School (MHS) was the oldest high school and current heritage property in

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. Th ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, Canada. Serving 1,300 students from the Moncton area and located in Moncton's inner urban core, MHS was housed in what the Heritage Canada Foundation calls an "outstanding example of Normandy Gothic Revival-style architecture".

History

Aberdeen High School

The first high school in Moncton was constructed in 1898 and was known as Aberdeen High School. The school was named for the then Governor General

Lord Aberdeen George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen (28 January 178414 December 1860), styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a British statesman, diplomat and landowner, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite politician and specialist in fo ...

, who laid the cornerstone of the edifice shortly before its completion. The building was reconstructed following a fire in 1916. It was the alma mater of

Northrop Frye Herman Northrop Frye (July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. Frye gained international fame with his first book, ''Fearful Symmetr ...

, world-renowned author and literary critic. Following its decline in the 1970s and eventual closure, the building became home to the Aberdeen Cultural Centre.

Moncton High School

Moncton High School was established in 1935, upon the initiative of Fred Edgett, a local grocery wholesale manager, and was constructed by Ambrose Wheeler, a local construction genius of his day. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, MHS played an important role in teaching aero engine mechanics to future aviation engineers involved in the war effort.

Controversy

The government has stated that the new school is not "Moncton High School", but a " New Moncton High School", which will have to be named, by the DEC, once built.

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

Jody Carr announced on February 16, 2011, that a new school would be built in a new location. On July 5, 2011, Education Minister Jody Carr announced that a new Moncton High School would be built on the Royal Oaks site. According to the Department of Education, Royal Oaks was the best of all 20 scouted locations because of anticipated population change, existing community amenities, community school use, catchment area, accessibility of the site, available utilities, and transportation strategies. Moncton City Councillors opposed the move. Moncton's City Manager announced earlier on December 22, 2011, that rather than fight the move, the City intended to work toward an agreement with Royal Oaks subdivision and the Province. In addition, withdrawing the rezoning application did not affect the move because the s. 96 of the ''Community Planning Act'' exempts the Province from zoning bylaws and regulations: the rezoning application was only presented as a token gesture by Rompsen.Province of New Brunswick, Community Planning Act, RSNB 1973, c C-12, s. 96.
/ref> As a result, the newly proposed school would go ahead with or without City approval. Accepting this interpretation of the ''Community Planning Act'', Moncton City Council accepted on June 25, 2012, the Province's $12.8 million offer to cover part of the infrastructure costs for the new high school. The total infrastructure costs for the city would amount to $30 million because of the need to construct new roads, sewers and water lines to service the new location. As a result of the decision, two prominent philanthropists withdrew scholarships for the school. The Province states that DEC approved the new high school. According to the ''Education Act'', jurisdiction over the determination of the location of school is split between the DEC, which determines the "general location" while the Minister of Education is to determine the "site" on which schools are to be built. In March 2012, The District Education Council (DEC) President, Harry Doyle, protested the Province's decision to move the school and stated that the DEC was given no role in determining its location.CBC News, "Moncton High School move 'decision taken', Williams says", March 21 2012.
/ref>

Notable alumni

* Chris Eaton - author and musician * Cynthia King - politician * Mike Murphy - lawyer and politician * Jacques Poitras - journalist and author * Chris Thompson - musician * Rick White - musician

References

External links

*{{cite web, url=https://www.nationaltrustcanada.ca/issues-campaigns/top-ten-endangered/explore-past-listings/new-brunswick/moncton-high-school, title=Moncton High School, publisher=National Trust for Canada, accessdate=20 March 2016 Educational institutions established in 1935 Educational institutions disestablished in 2015 1935 establishments in New Brunswick 2015 disestablishments in New Brunswick Former school buildings in Canada Buildings and structures in Moncton Former schools in New Brunswick