Holy Name Catholic School in Pembroke is celebrating 100 years of Catholic Education. It was back in January of 1923 that the school welcomed their first students. The school was originally staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph and christened St. John the Baptist Separate School. It was renamed Holy Name, along with the neighbouring Parish Church in 1944 when a dedicated French church/school was constructed on Isabella Street. In an effort to complete the building and create a fully functioning school for students, an additional eight classrooms were constructed and added to the original building in 1957. In 1965, the kindergarten section and gymnasium were added to the original building, and in 1968 the original building was renovated to include a library.
It was involved in the “Regulation 17” controversy over French language instruction in Ontario in the 1920s when Jeanne-Lajoie advocated for the right to provide French students instruction in their first language beyond grade 2.
(Written by: Kyle Robinson)