A Night to Remember! Darkley Celebrates 80Years of 'Bringing Out The Best'!

On the 18th of April 2013, Darkley Primary School was the place to be as it celebrated 80 years of "Bringing out the Best". Past pupils young and old came to rekindle memories of their primary school years. They came far and wide for this very special occasion, such as America, Canada, New Zealand and England. Over a thousand visitors graced our doors throughout the evening where they were treated to amazing displays throughout the school, depicting the various eras our school came through. On display were thousands of photographs which were collected over many months using Facebook and through the interest and kindness of the wider community. The pupils played a huge roll over recent months preparing and researching different eras of years gone by, for example P7 pupils took a focused study of 1930-40 school life. P5/6 looked at 1950/60's, while P3/4 pupils studied the 1970-80's. The P1/2 pupils looked at the modern day class from 1990 onwards. Not only could past pupils view photographs but there were old registers, food, music and a living history performance by the P7 pupils who went that extra mile and dressed in 1930-40 clothing. They transformed their class into a 1930 room with inkwell desks and slate boards, old books and a professional actor who was hired to take on the role as a teacher from that era. Visitors marvelled at the performance and felt transported back in time. Needless to say it was a great success, but it could not have been so if the wider community hadn't given so much support to the school and staff in preparation for such a huge event. It was wonderful to see the community united in celebrating and working towards this spectacle, remembering the pivotal role, past and present which this school, plays in the wider community. It was a night that will live long in the memory for many people who met friends of old and shared their life stories and adventures, for some friends hadn't seen each other in 60 years. It was very emotional for many, indeed it was fitting that a tribute was made to past friends who were no longer with us. Quite simply, the evening was special! Special because everybody felt apart of the celebrations and played their part in making it what it was. Thank you to all who made it so. Roll on our 100th!!!!!