History:
Our Children, Our Schools Sometime around 1740 families in the East Hill section of what is now the town of Canton got together and established "Women Scholes for the instruction of children located in private homes." Within about five years a schoolhouse was constructed. By 1759 the School Society of West Simsbury had established three schools in various parts of town. It is likely that parents hoped their children would learn enough reading during what was probably a 60-day school term to be better able to understand their Bibles. The agrarian community had seen a need and had responded to it. Canton wasn't even a town yet, but it had a system of public education. They could not have possibly forseen the role that schools would play in the community 266 years later, but the principles underlying this enduring tradition remain the same in the year 2006 as the community acts to meet the ever-changing needs of children and the society in large part through its schools.