Avalon Adventist Christian Academy has a remarkable history — one that began not on land, but on the waters of British Columbia’s coast.
For generations, Avalon has been shaped by families who believed deeply in Christian education and were willing to work together to provide it for their children. That same spirit of faith, community and commitment continues at Avalon today.
Our Beginnings on the Water
Avalon’s story began in the Adventist logging camps of Burke Channel, later moving to Fitzhugh Channel and Smith Inlet. The school primarily served families of the GMG Logging Company, although children from other parts of the inlet attended as well.
In 1955, the school was given the name Avalon, meaning “an earthly paradise in the western seas.”
And Avalon really did float.
The schoolhouse spent its early years on the waters of Smith Inlet — sometimes floating gently and sometimes, as the original history tells us, “not so gently.” Most years the little school was filled to capacity. Life at a floating school was certainly different: children even wore lifebelts while playing outside until they had earned their place in the “good swimmer” class.
From Sea to Shore
When GMG Logging could no longer operate year-round, Adventist families from the area began moving to Port Hardy. Together with local Adventist families, they dreamed of establishing a church school in their new community.
GMG Logging generously offered them the floating schoolhouse — provided they could find somewhere to put it.
A waterfront property was eventually leased, and the school began an extraordinary journey to its new home. GMG’s Surf Isle towed the floating school across Queen Charlotte Sound to Port Hardy, where it was pulled ashore.
Families then worked together to prepare the building and make the changes necessary for its new life on land.
A New Beginning in Port Hardy
On September 14, 1970, Avalon opened in Port Hardy with teacher Jack Gorton and just six students. By Christmas, enrollment had grown to nine.
In 1975, after the church property on Byng Road had been prepared, a new two-room school was built at Avalon’s present location beside the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The school continued to grow, and in 1993 Avalon was expanded to include additional classrooms, a library, office, science lab, kitchen, gym and restrooms.
Avalon Today
More than seventy years after receiving the name Avalon, the school continues the tradition begun by those first families on the coast: providing children with a caring Christian education and a community in which they can learn, grow and belong.
Our school may no longer float on the waters of British Columbia, but the faith, determination and community spirit that carried Avalon from Smith Inlet to Port Hardy remain very much a part of who we are today.
We are proud of our remarkable heritage, grateful for the families and community members who have helped shape our school, and excited about the future as we continue helping students learn, grow and thrive in faith.