Photos by Calgary based photographer Azriel Knight
When I was in Junior High I was a brat.
Not, break the law, smoke, get into fights kind of brat, but enough to have the entire faculty of this (gorgeous) building on their toes. Even then I couldn’t help but love its architecture.
Many believed it was haunted, and is even featured in books on ghosts in Canada. At one point a girl thought she saw her, the young unwed schoolteacher that went missing during the flu epidemic of 1918. And for the next few days teachers had to sweep the kids from the dark corners (where they were looking for ghosts) into class.
I’ll admit I was one of them 
Westmount Public School opened in the spring of 1915 but the building wouldn’t be finished until 1927, due to several complications, including lawsuits between contractors. It taught grades one, to nine.
In 1971, a new section to the building went underway. An ugly and updated eyesore, on the opposite side of the original entrance.
Still, the school has a lot of character, and I recently made it a point to go back and photograph it (during the summer so I wouldn’t have those pesky students in the way:))
I remember the old arcade they had in the basement. where if you where *good* they would let you go down there for 20 minutes of the class. was good times, good times.
Ahh, memories. Great picture. This junior high was an interesting one. I too was a brat at Westmount Junior High. In fact, I think I remember Azriel and I getting into trouble on at least one occasion.
I couldn’t really say whether I witnessed any particular haunting experience, though I do seem to recall the hall near my homeroom in grade 8 and 9 having a strange unexplained draft from time to time. I try to believe it was bad insulation.
- Nathan
I think we were all brats when attending this school. I was there when they were building the new section and gymnasium. Thanks to the new section we were able to scale the building and access the main tower. There we found some old school paraphernalia (school books , a banner and an old Union Jack)my buddies and my initials are scribed up there somewhere. The other naughty thing we did was to peek under the heavy stage curtains where the girls were changing for gym ( which is now the school library located under the main tower on the second floor of the old school) I believe that was tradition down threw the ages for all boys and girls who attended Westmount before the new gym was built. I have many other stories from that school and many found memories of the kids who went there, the teachers and of that wonderful building.
Cheers