A buzz of activity at Shaughnessy Elementary School began early in the morning of Saturday, September 21. Tents were erected and heritage cars rolled in to be joined by an antique school bus, plus food trucks and cotton candy and popcorn machines. All in anticipation of a daylong celebration of the school's centennial.

More than 1,000 people – many in period dress - joined students, staff, alumni and dignitaries to mark the occasion. Special guest speakers were piped in by the Vancouver Police Department Pipe Band to begin an official ceremony commemorating the 100 years since the building's foundation stone was laid, by then His Royal Highness, Edward, Prince of Wales.

Celebrated on the unceded traditional lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh people, the audience was honoured to have Alec Dan, Musqueam member and the Coastal Wolf Pack welcome everyone.

Following, Councillor Melissa De Genova shared remarks on behalf Mayor Kennedy Steward. Vancouver School Board Chair Janet Fraser and Superintendent Suzanne Hoffman also spoke, noting the important role the school has played in the community and in students' learning journeys throughout the last 10 decades. The official proceedings also included performances by the Prince of Wales school band and choir, and the school's fight song, thanks to Drs. Brian and David Hunt, both school alumni. The entire audience sang a rousing rendition of the once-forgotten song!

Many a memory of years gone by were shared by those in attendance. Two alumni gleefully recounted how as young girls they and their friends enjoyed dances in the auditorium – now the school's library.

Some girls who did not want to pair up with the boys, they said with laughter, would go upstairs and watch as other boys and girls danced together. "We had so much fun!"

The day of celebration was the culmination of yearlong activity. Parent volunteers Chelsea Miller and Sabrina LaFrance, formed an organizing committee with school principal, Janet Souther. Together, and with all staff at the school, they helped bring the school's history to life for present day students.

All students participated in a school project to create a tiled column in the foyer. The four-sided piece of art marks: Students & Learning, School & Community, Indigenous Honouring, and Shaughnessy Heritage. Also hung in a place of honour in the foyer is a red cedar spindle whorl, measuring more than one and half metres in diameter. Designed and carved by Brent Sparrow of the Musqueam Nation, the spindle whorl is lasting legacy of the Shaughnessy centennial. Entitled 'Precious Gifts,' it represents protection, dedication and knowledge.

The learning continued with the discovery and excavation of a time capsule embedded in the foundation stone laid 100 years ago. While researching the school's history, Miller and LeFrance came across a news article in the Weekly Review (out of publication for several decades) that included a mentioned about the previously unknown artifact. With the help of District facilities department members, it was located and removed.

The time capsule's contents – including coins and newspapers of the day – were on display along with school memorabilia throughout the decades. Guests and students alike got an up-close, and often personal, history lesson as alumni and former staff pointed out photos of themselves from years gone by and shared stories of their days at Shaughnessy.

The anniversary played an integral part of curriculum delivery at the school since preparations began early last school year. Students helped decorate decade-themed classrooms, complete with regalia and information detailing events that defined their times. They also created a classroom of the future, imagining what it will be like to go to school in years to come.

"The history of the school really has come alive for the children here today," says principal Souther. "We may even make our own time capsule," she says, so that Shaughnessy Elementary students of the future know of the continuing legacy of the school.

Throughout the festivities, guests, students and volunteers not only learned about the school's history, but also about its importance as a hub of the community. The school itself has seen many changes over the years, including a seismic upgrade in the 1990s. When erected, it was known as Prince of Wales Elementary and High School until 1958, when it was renamed Shaughnessy Elementary after a new high school opened serving Vancouver's west side neighbourhoods. Since then, it has welcomed students from kindergarten to Grade 7. Today, more than 25 different languages are spoken in the homes of students, topics of Indigenous ways of knowing and digital learning are common place in lessons. Throughout the last 100 years, one constant remains: Shaughnessy Elementary continues to be a place where young minds are engaged, friendships formed and memories made.