BUCHANAN HOUSE
REALIZING A PIPE-DREAM
Seventy-five years ago, two Montreal mothers, Frances Ballantyne and Alphonsine Paré-Howlett, took a leap of faith and started a co-educational, child-centered elementary school, the first of its kind in Quebec. Deemed a pair of “mavericks”, they created a school where children were encouraged to be children: to play, sing, perform, discover and explore their world in a caring and nurturing environment. Their approach to education was quite innovative in the 1940s when schools tended to be large, impersonal and authoritarian.
From its humble beginnings as “The Little Red School House on The Boulevard”, The Priory has been fortunate to grow and expand through the dedication and generosity of countless Priory families, friends and faculty who have paved the way for the current generation of students. At the time of the Priory’s first expansion in 1965, Frances Ballantyne spoke of her bold vision to one day acquire “the Buchanan House next door”, the possible purchase of which had always been a pipe-dream.
Today, we are thrilled to announce that our Co-Founder’s bold vision has become a reality. The Priory has acquired the property next door at 3128 The Boulevard. This property places us in an enviable position within the Greater Montreal educational community, as it provides us with much-needed space to fulfill our educational mission. It is now our turn to pave the way for this generation and future generations of Priory students. As you can imagine, it will take time and investment to convert a private residence into a school.
With support from every corner of The Priory community, including our Board of Directors, The Priory Foundation, faculty, staff and parents, we have an exciting opportunity to invest in the future of The Priory. Although Mrs. Ballantyne did not live to see her “pipe-dream” come true, we are honoured to have the opportunity to see her dream realized, and we pledge to do so while remaining true to the creed our cofounders set for our school, “Caritas, lux, vita”, developing the child's spirit, mind and body