BARRY’S BAY – Former teacher Jim Haskins would stay up until midnight in the days leading up to graduation, decorating the auditorium at Madawaska Valley District High School (MVDHS) and transforming it into a magical place.
Throughout the school year, he was introducing kids to musicals, a glee club, football and more. When he wasn’t providing unique extracurricular opportunities for the students, he was co-founding minor hockey in the region, helping to establish winter weekend (which led to Timberfest) and was a founding director for the ski hill.
Needless to say, Jim Haskins has made quite the impact on students who attended Madawaska Valley District High School and grew up in the community.
Jim was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and was raised in Toronto. He had been visiting the Madawaska Valley since 1939 with his parents. He liked it so much that he brought his new wife, Lorraine, to the area for their honeymoon. The couple bought a cottage but eventually grew tired of driving back to the city every Sunday. So they decided to make a permanent move. But first, Jim had to find a job.
“It was either teach or pile lumber,” he said.
Get your June 15, 2016 edition of The Valley Gazette to read the full story.