Former trustees, board members, principals, teachers and students of Drayton Junior School, along with local residents, attended a dedication service at the site of the original school.
The property, now owned by Maranatha Conservative Mennonite Church, recently underwent renovations. On the afternoon of March 6, the church held guided tours of the expanded facility, in addition to a dedication service.
Former student and teacher at Drayton Junior Lynn Straus said, “This was a fun walk down memory lane for me as a student and teacher at this school.
“I attended Kindergarten off site in an old lumber yard building, not far from the Presbyterian Church, before I came to this school. When Drayton Junior and Senior joined to form one school, at the current Drayton Heights location, I went along with it. I’m still teaching the same grade also.”
The service began with hymns sung by the church’s youth chorus. Pastor Marvin Bouman spoke on the history of Drayton Junior School from 1944-2002.
“As many Drayton and area residents were travelling to New Hamburg to attend church services, a committee was formed to find a suitable location closer to Drayton for worship,” Bouman said.
“The committee eventually found and purchased the vacant Drayton Junior School site on John Street.”
On March 16, 2003 Maranatha Conservative Mennonite Church held its first service with an official dedication in June of the same year.
The church applied to Mapleton council for permission to have a cemetery on site. An agreement was reached between the two parties and a cemetery located in Hollen is used by the church today. The school portion of the church opened in 2004.
In 2006, the congregation held its first Vacation Bible School.
Recent renovations to the building included increasing the size of the church foyer, school entrance and sanctuary. The library and science rooms of the original school were demolished to allow for the expansion.
A six-month project involving many skilled craftsmen and volunteer labourers resulted in not only improved space but the replacement of a leaking roof.
The sanctuary’s unique roof system contains 451 trusses of 152 different shapes and has greatly increased the acoustics.
Each one of the four pastors of the church spoke during the service and reminded the congregation of the Lord’s provision throughout this project; the church’s role being to worship the Lord and to educate the children.
“I was a student in the last Grade 6 class before this school closed and joined Drayton Senior to form Drayton Heights,” Ken Thompson said.
“It’s wonderful to see it still being used as a school.”
The congregation has shown continual growth since its inception. There are six classes up to Grade 10 in the school, with 80 children attending.
