A plaque has been unveiled in honour of the headteacher at Livingston’s first secondary school.
Alexander Pirie MBE led staff and pupils at Craigshill High School for 18 years and to honour his hard work and dedication, a memorial has been erected.
To raise money for the plaque and remember the school in all its glory, former pupils held a reunion celebration.
A committee was put together consisting of Peter Douglas, Ann Lee, Gordon Brownlie, Jackie Potter, Esther McPhillips, Fiona McQuade and Sharon Rae who set about putting together the event.
They said: “The school opened its doors for the first time to pupils and staff in 1969 and for that the community owe a great debt to the first headmaster and education pioneer Alexander Pirie.
“Many pupils passed through the doors of the school over the years and Mr Pirie retired in 1987, just three years before the school closed for the last time in 1990, prior to the majority of the buildings being demolished in 1996, taking with them many memories of our formative years and our progression from being children to becoming fully fledged adults. “
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The committee said many former pupils had been in touch on social media and thought that 50 years since the school opened would be an ideal time to get together again.
The members continued: “We knew there would be interest from former pupils but what we didn’t expect was the sheer volume of numbers interested. Demand was so great it sold out in three days. A suggestion was also made that we should create a memorial for those who are sadly no longer with us. A request was made via Facebook for information and we were staggered by the number of ex-pupils who had passed away.
“With the permission of their relatives, Fiona created a memorial board that was displayed at the entrance to the reunion containing the 118 pupils and 16 teachers.”
“The reunion was a great success and after deducting costs for the event, there was enough left over to buy a memorial plaque for Mr Pirie.”
The plaque was put up in Craigwillow Community Centre as it was the former PE building for Craigshill High and the only part of the school that still remains.
The plaque was unveiled with Mr Pirie’s brother Keith and nephew David in attendance.
