Over the years, the school has been a focal point of the community. There have been quite a few notable education institutions in Tignish over the past 200 years. The first school was located near the first Log Church at the Green, and it is believed that the teacher was Andre Dau. The second grammar school, built in 1826, was also located in a church- a church that happened to be the second of the Tignish parish. This second school, hauled by eighty teams of horses from its original site to the spot that would later be occupied by Tignish Elementary High School, served as a grammar school for boys for many years until becoming a Parish Hall. At the time of the grammar school, there were three books in use. Some notable teachers of this school include Charles Duffy, Rev. Joseph Gallant, Bishop Leo Nelligan, Mrs. S.T. Gallant and other notables. In the early days, the Church took responsibility for teaching the young; that meant the clergyman acted as schoolmaster to the boys of the area, and the Sisters took responsibility for the girls. The Convent of Notre Dame was opened in 1868 due to the need for better educational facilities. It would not be until 1930 that Dalton School, the predecessor of the current school, was built. In the late 1950s, the Tignish Regional High School added Grade 11 and Grade 12, thus allowing students from Tignish the opportunity to graduate from high school in their own area. Built in 1958 and opened in September of 1959, the school became a Regional High School on June 16, 1960. The first graduation was on June 16, 1961 when 20 pupils were graduated from the High School and three from the Commercial course. Today, the former Dalton School has been replaced by Tignish Elementary, and the high school has been amalgamated with other areas in West Prince to form Westisle Composite High School. Back to Community