Saunders Secondary School celebrates 50 years

It is a celebration of fifty years of learning and fun at a London, Ont. high school this weekend.

Saunders Secondary School, in the city’s west end, is hosting a reunion.

At an open house Saturday, David Greenly was catching up with a neighbourhood friend he had not seen in years.

Greenly, an Ottawa-area resident, is a former Londoner.

In 1973, he was also among the first students to attend Saunders Secondary School.

“It was brand new. I think we were the second grade nine group that was here,” Greenly reflected.

Since graduating from Saunders in 1978, he has held onto fond memories of his school days.

David Greenly held up his 1976 yearbook, seen on May 13, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

It’s a passion shared with Dennis Kemp. He was a math teacher at the school from the first day it opened in 1972.

“I don’t think the public board in London has built a secondary school since they built this one, which sort of boggles the mind when you think of it,” said Kemp.

While some things stay stagnant over the years, school spirit remains strong.

Friday’s pub night in the gym saw 650 attendees.

Dennis Kemp, a former teacher at Saunders SS, holding up a yearbook from 1973, seen on May 13, 2023.

Jamie Clark is an organizer of the event and the school’s current basketball coach. He said each former student and staff member is proud to have been a Saunders Sabre.

“It’s a school of love. There are so many amazing people that came through here,” he said.

“There is something to be said about the spirit in a school,” Kemp added. “It is hard to define why some schools have it in abundance and why in some schools it seems more difficult to generate. I don’t know why that is, but I know this school has it!”

Clark concluded, “I can’t see myself teaching anywhere else.”

David Greenly’s (left) yearbook photo from 1976, and former teacher Dennis Kemp’s (right) yearbook photo from 1973. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)