Peel Adventist School began as a dream in the minds of three Adventist parents, Leah Henry, Curt De Gourville and Manuela Terencio. Various surveys were sent out to the local Adventist churches to better understand the need for an Adventist school in the Peel District. In the early Spring of 1994 these individuals, together with other local parents and pastors, met with officials from the Ontario Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to discuss the obvious need for a school in the West end of the GTA.

Curt de Gourville and Manuela Terencio found a rental facility at 147 Queen Street West in Brampton. This had been the Old Brampton Schoolhouse in the late 1800s. Some plans were drawn up and a budget was put together. Renovations began almost immediately, but would not be completed until the end of November. The Brampton Seventh-day Adventist Church brethren were kind enough to rent their basement for a few months, and classes commenced in September of 1994. At the time, the school consisted of two multi-grade classes, with a total of 36 students. Mrs. Manuela Terencio became the teaching principal, teaching Junior, Senior Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2, while Miss Denean Culmore (Sabot) taught Grades 3, 4, 5 and 6.

On November 21 of that year, the school moved into the Old Schoolhouse. This location, with only three classrooms and a library/computer room, was quickly outgrown. Less than two years later, enrolment had increased by 70%. In September of 1996, the school was relocated to the Mississauga Seventh-day Adventist Church basement, where enrolment continued to grow by 30% in the first year, and 10% in the second. By the end of the second year, the school was once again bursting at the seams with seven teachers on staff, an enrolment of 87 students and a waiting list for almost every grade.

For the following five years, there was an ongoing mandate to find an adequate facility that would accommodate the growing numbers. Enrolment had been restricted to siblings, and new families were being turned away for lack of space. In 2002, a building was identified at 57 McMurchy Avenue South in Brampton as having potential. It was estimated that the relocation would permit the school to double its
enrolment, and that enrolment would continue to increase at an average of 15% each year over the next five years.

Plans were drawn up and the City’s Committee of Adjustments approved the zoning. The property was purchased, and in September of 2003, after major renovations, the facility was ready to be occupied. This facility included six full size classes, a library/computer room, a multipurpose room/gym and two fenced playground areas. During the first year alone, the school had an enrolment increase of 40%, and an additional 12% the second year.

In 2005, a decision was made to bus the Junior High students to Crawford Adventist Academy to allow for more enrolment growth at the Primary level. This decision,coupled with increased tuition, changes to the fees schedule and other additional factors, cost the school a huge drop in enrolment over the next three years.

July 4, 2008 was a tragic day; the day the school building burned down. It was 3 p.m. on that Friday afternoon when a neighbour called 911 after noticing flames on the school roof.

Although this was a sad day indeed, God allowed many blessings to surface from the ashes. The entire school community was able to experience God’s mercies firsthand and testify of His greatness and power. Despite the consuming flames that burned for over 24 hours, and all the water used to quench the inferno, God demonstrated that He was still in control and wanted Peel Adventist School to continue.

As school staff watched the flames consume the building, a stranger walked up and said, “I know this is tragic, but don’t despair, we have a place for you.” He went on to explain that his church had also had a fire a few years before and had just finished construction on a new facility. This multi-functional facility would most likely accommodate our school. This stranger was the youth pastor of the Immanuel Christian
Reformed Church. This was not the only firsthand miracle seen. When permission was granted to enter what was left of the building with hard hats and boots, nothing appeared salvageable, just as the Fire Marshall had stated. Amidst the charcoaled furniture, however, Mr. Terencio managed to pull out, intact, the Ontario Student Records for all the students. These are paper folders, legal documents, which contain each student’s records from when they first started Kindergarten. Aside from smelling of smoke and being a bit grey from the ash, they were not damaged at all. Nathan Green’s painting, “The Lion and the Lamb”, which still hangs in the school office, was also retrieved from the ashes. In addition, the hard drive of the main computer, which contained vital information, was also pulled out. Even though the corners of the hard drive were melted from the heat and there seemed to be lots of water damage, Mr. Leroy Brown was able to retrieve all its information. This computer contained every bit of information from when the school first started in the Peel District.

The months that followed were not easy. The entire staff did not have much of a summer vacation. Personal plans were set aside and the summer was used to order, organize, and develop teaching materials, set up and prepare programs, as well as attend meetings and contact potential donors.

In September 2008, Peel Adventist School opened its doors to 71 students at the Immanuel Christian Reformed Church  facility in Caledon. This was intended to be a temporary location while a permanent plot of land and facility were sought. Since then, the school staff and parents have continued to provide the best possible education while searching for a permanent location, continuing to work to increase enrolment.

At the Constituency Meeting held on May 5, 2015 it was accepted that the Peel Adventist School was officially renamed as ‘Crawford Adventist Academy – Peel Campus’ effective July 1, 2015. This move allowed for the alignment of school promotions, brand positioning and marketing budgets. The TADSB Board has adopted ‘Crawford’ as the official brand.