BDSS remembered with ‘history exchange’

By Tristan Marks
For NewsNow

Beamsville Secondary School (BDSS) will soon be gone.
At the end of the 2020 year, the high school will cease holding classes for good.
However, its memory will live on, in no small part thanks to students Emma McDonald and Keerthana Srikanth.
The Grade 11 girls spent their summer curating an exhibit which displays decades of memories from the school. The display was hosted at a special event at the Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre on Sept. 13.
“We wanted to make an event where people could reminisce,” said Srikanth, who also volunteers at the museum with McDonald.
The girls began by interviewing teachers and alumni from their school to create a basis for their project.
“We interviewed a lot of people based on what they wanted to see,” said Srikanth “Then we went from there.”
They collected a number of artifacts related to BDSS: pictures, student newspapers and even memorabilia like “academic achievement” patches. The girls said that much of the information and items which went into their “history exchange” came from both the museum and the Friends of Lincoln Archives.
McDonald and Srikanth said they wanted to thank the Friends of Lincoln archivists along with “everyone who shared their stories and opinions on the school”. They especially thanked Lisa Mercier, the cultural curator at the museum, who mentored the girls.
“We’d also definitely like to thank Lisa, she’s been our rock in this,” said McDonald.
The girls said the project is also a little bittersweet for them.
“It will definitely be sad to see a school that’s had such an impact on people here close,” said Srikanth.
“Even as current students, it’s going to be emotional for us,” agreed McDonald.