St. Jean Baptiste School District No. 2828
St. Jean Baptiste, so named because it was in a French-Canadian
settlement, was built in 1914. The only English family was that of
Colonel E. Pitman. Early board members were Eloi Gagnon, Adelford
Belanger and Arthur Belanger with George Tessier acting as secretary for
many years.
Teachers were French-speaking in the early years and later English- speaking teachers were hired. Some of the locally educated teachers who taught were: Claire Richardson (Folkins), Stella O’Brien (Cryderman) and Irene Fahner (Renville).
Poor farming conditions caused many of the families to move away and due to low enrollment, the school was closed. When enough students were available it was reopened. It was finally closed in 1935 and the few pupils went to Butzeville. The building was moved to Wainwright to be used as a dormitory for out-of-town students.
Today, new families have moved in and oil wells dot the land.
St. Jean Baptiste School District No. 2828
Submitted by Mildred Goede Reinhart
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