​By North Shore News Staff

Peek inside a Grade 3/4 classroom at North Star School in December 1938, decorated with a Christmas tree, garlands, wreaths and other greenery to get the students into the festive spirit.

The class was taught by Aileen Lockhart-Smythe, the daughter of emigrants from Northern Ireland. Her father, Thomas Lockhart-Smythe, ran Kingsderry, a grocery store in North Lonsdale.

Aileen taught at a number of schools in North Vancouver, including Crosby School for Girls and Ridgeway, before retiring in 1953. North Star School opened in 1912 and closed in the 1980s. It is now the site of Ecole Andre Piolat.​​​