End of an era: Breton Education Centre graduates final class after 50-plus years

High school in Cape Breton closes its doors A Cape Breton high school is closing its doors just as many students are graduating.

The bricks and mortar of Breton Education Centre have stood in New Waterford, N.S., since the fall of 1970, but after Wednesday, the old high school - and middle school – will have no more students walk through its doors.

"Definitely some mixed emotions,” said Elise Turner, a member of Breton Education Centre’s final graduating class of 2024.

The school was best-known for hosting Coal Bowl, an iconic annual basketball tournament that brought in teams from across the country, and its alumni would number in the thousands.

"My mom went to BEC, and I'm sure your parents went to BEC, so it's nice that we also got to share that,” said fellow 2024 graduate Ava MacKinnon.

Lowell Cormier has been involved with the school - mostly as a basketball coach - for nearly its entire existence.

He said along with its aging infrastructure, Breton Education Centre has long been too big for a population that has seen sharp decline over the years.

"Breton would have had about 2,200 students in its first years of operation, and now I think there's less than 600 students - with an extra grade,” Cormier said. "I imagine the heating bills are off the charts, and stuff like that."

Though it's still a construction zone now, the new school next door is set to open in September. When it does, the new building will keep the old name of 'Breton Education Centre.'

The new high school and middle school will be part of a community hub, along with a health-care centre and a seniors’ complex.

"We have our walkthrough (Wednesday), so we get to take some final pictures and say our goodbyes,” MacKinnon said. “It's a little sad, but it will be nice to see a new building."

The final graduation ceremony was held Wednesday afternoon.

The old Breton Education Centre building is expected to be demolished at a later date.

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