Despite this new school being constructed and considered one of the best schools in the lower mainland, there was still a desire within the community for it to grow. One man in particular, Mr. Philip Sheffield, had the vision to turn this school into a center that would better the lives of the community. In 1935, the Matsqui, Sumas, and Abbotsford educational administrative districts joined together to form the M.S.A., which was the first large school district in the province. Mr. Sheffield was chosen as the first official trustee of the district. His vision for what the Sumas-Abbotsford High School could become was instrumental for its early success. Had a passive, boring, and unenthusiastic bureaucrat taken assumed the position of first official trustee, it is likely that Sumas-Abbotsford High School would not have grown and developed in the way that it did [1].

 

In 1936, Mr. Sheffield submitted a proposal to improve the current Sumas-Abbotsford High School with a $16,000 renovation. This proposal would allow for the construction of a science building, gymnasium, and most importantly, an 800-seat school auditorium. All of these additional amenities would push Sumas-Abbotsford High School to an even higher pedestal and give great benefits to the local community. The government was willing to split the cost of the addition 50-50, which meant that the community would have to fundraise $8,000 to make Mr. Sheffield’s vision for the school come true. An article ran in the Abbotsford, Sumas, & Matsqui News outlines Mr. Sheffield’s plan and the way in which he hoped to achieve his goals. Mr. Sheffield sent a plea out to the community to volunteer their labour or the equivalent amount of cash to ensure that this addition could be completed [4]. Unfortunately, Mr. Sheffield passed away unexpectedly on October 6, 1936, so he was unable to see his vision come to fruition, but there is no doubt that the final product would have made him proud.

 

On Friday, December 18, 1936, there was a ceremony for the dedication and grand opening of the new addition onto the Sumas-Abbotsford High School. This ceremony had many distinguished guests, all of whom were there to pay a tribute to the late Mr. Philip Sheffield. Many of the guests who attended were notable members of the educational landscape in British Columbia, such as Dr.G. M. Weird, the Honourable Minister of Education, Mr. H. N. MacCorkindale, Supervisor of Schools, Vancouver City, and Mrs. Edward Mahon, President of the B.C. School Trustees Association. This dedication and opening would have been the talk of the town in the weeks leading up and it cemented Abbotsford’s place in the educational history of the Fraser Valley. During this ceremony, Dr. G. M. Weir dedicated the high school to Mr. Philip Sheffield, and in doing so renamed the school from the Sumas-Abbotsford High School to The Philip Sheffield Memorial High School [5].

References

[3]  Abbotsford School District, The History of Our School Building, Philip Sheffield School, May 2019.

[4] Abbotsford, Sumas & Matsqui News, Asks Community Aid in $16,000 Projected High School Building, April 1936.

[5] Programme for Opening and Dedication of Philip Sheffield Memorial High School, The Reach Gallery and Museum, December 1936.