Blakelock’s Building Over the Years

Written by: Vanessa Vamvakaris, Tia Smith, Ashvira Mangat, and Tamanna Singh 

Contributor: Azya Edris

Thomas A. Blakelock, was founded in 1957 and is home to just over 1000 students. What most pupils don't know is that the original building still stands today. TAB is the second oldest high school in Oakville and it continues to host new generations to date.

The original structures that remain are the “T”, South and East hallways, the gym, and the cafeteria. Currently, the South and East hallways are still used for everyday classes. The South hallway is now mostly home to business, healthcare, and English-related subjects. This part of the school is Blakelock’s original framework, and all other additions were added in later years.

Did you know we used to have portables at our school? At first, they seemed like a good solution for our school's growing population, however, as time went on the school began to search for a permanent solution. This snowballed into the official construction of the West hallway. 

This hallway is home to five classrooms and an additional office. It is responsible for supporting Blakelock’s French Immersion program and other classes. Below the French hallway, a new hallway for physical education classes was added. During the construction of the West hallway, the addition of an extra gym facilitated the rise and popularity of athletics and fitness classes. 

T.A. Blakelock’s community started to cater to all kinds of students with different interests and abilities. In later years, the tech hallway, music room, and auditorium were added as artistic and technological programs began to grow in popularity. 

Two of the most notable additions, according to an alumnus from the class of 1985, were the two new levels of the school, now known as the East hallways, as well as the cafeteria being two levels - which remains the same today.

Blakelock has some exciting plans for the building in the future. But that's a story for another day.