The original print of this photo is the property of James E. Horn of Brantford, who appears in the photo, and who kindly e-mailed us this scan of it in November 2010. 

Our list of names of those in this photo was developed by James E. Horn and his schoolmate Lois (Payne) Powell, who also appears in the photo. They identified all 64 students and the lone teacher who appears in the photo. If their identifications are challenged, alternative names will appear in the list in italics.

The Depression was a childhood memory for these students the day this picture was taken. World War II was winding down. Most families owned a static-prone AM radio or two and a car (although gas rationing ensured they didn't drive far). Many households had a telephone. The few local newspapers were weeklies. No one knew television existed. Ice boxes were more common than refrigerators. Recordings were 78 rpm. Most people walked to work. Most rural students boarded in town during the school week.

Port Dover High School served Port Dover and the immediate rural population of Woodhouse Township. It is likely these students all walked to school.
 
At the time this photo was taken, Ontario high school education consisted of five grades: 
9 through 13, but Port Dover High provided only 9 through 12, sending students to neighboring Simcoe High for grade 13. Typically students would have started high school at approximately age 13 and graduated four years later, age 17, so most students in this photo would have been born between approximately 1926 and 1931.