Blessed Sacrament School
Blessed Sacrament School first opened on September 16, 1931 in a
bungalow on fourth avenue (Now the home of Mary Goodwin). The first
teacher was Sister Edwina from the Order of Sisters of St. Joseph,
Peterborough, Ontario. She had 24 students (grades one to eight) which
increased to 31 by the end of October, 1931. Sisters and students lived in
the first convent, now MacKenzie House.
Some of the first students were Stella McIntee, Alice McLean, Roger Perres, Marcel Touchette, Cecelia Touchette, Aileen Davignon, Clare and Leopold Dupre, Margaret, May and Helen Tolmie and Janet Croteau.
On February 21, 1932, a petition was circulated to have a Separate School. This was signed by nearly all the heads of families in the parish. On June 13, 1933 a vote was taken. Ninety-eight percent of the voters favored a Separate School.
At the first school board meeting in September 1933, P.J. Poitras was appointed secretary-treasurer. Father Doyle, pastor at the time was chairman and trustees were Luke Killoran, G. Grogan, W. Goulet and T. Besson.
On September 19, 1933, Sister Edwina became Mother Superior teaching elementary grades, Sister Saint Victor and Sister Bernice were high school teachers in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12. The minimum salary was $840. Sister Fidelma was a housekeeper and Sister Mary Carmel was a cook. Sister Martha and Sister Macrina came as music teachers who were really needed in those early days.
Emmy Nysetvold (Johnson) tells about Lily Pitman (Saville), Ruth Parcels (Howe), Linnea Johnson (Gordon) and herself coming from Chauvin to the convent to take grade twelve. The surrounding towns only taught to grade eleven but grade twelve was now being demanded. Where else could you get board and rooms for $12 a month if you went home for weekends? If you stayed Saturday and Sunday as we had to do when roads were blocked in winter, the charge was $15 a month. The early settlers found $15 a large sum in those years of frost and drought.
In December 1932, a new church and convent (containing two classrooms) was completed. Rural school children boarded at the convent until 1955 when school buses brought children in. This convent was sold to Phil May in 1970. It was turned into an apartment block and the Sisters moved into Mr. May’s residence, which is still their convent.
In November 1933, sod was turned for a larger school. The old church was moved to the west side corner of Sixth Avenue and Main Street and incorporated as an auditorium in the new building.
Fire destroyed the auditorium and science rooms Sunday, February 23, 1936. A new auditorium was officially opened in October 1936. The enrolment was one hundred and forty students in grades one to twelve. Five Sisters of St. Joseph were on staff.
Miss Shire was the first lay teacher. She was hired in October 1936 to teach commercial subjects, at a salary of $600 per year plus room and board. Mr. J. Stinert Sr. was the first lay chairman of the school board. Mrs. J. MacKenzie was the first female board member in 1939.
In August, 1945, the Catholic School Board considered joining the Wainwright School Division but after much discussion and study they decided not to enter the division. In 1971, Wainwright Separate School District joined with other Catholic boards to form the East Central Alberta Catholic Schools Association.
In August 1950, water and sewage systems were installed in the Separate School.
In December 1959, the 25th anniversary of Blessed Sacrament School, a new school was officially opened on the east side of Wainwright. Many additions were made through the years. In 1991, the 60th anniversary of Blessed Sacrament, the final building was completed.
In 1959, the first male lay principal, Mr. Al Gerwing, was hired. The old school on main street was sold to the town.
Grades one to twelve were taught in the Separate School from 1931-32 to 1961-62 when grade twelve was no longer offered. The next year grades ten and eleven were cut and students attended the public school until the 1991 term when all grades were again taught at Blessed Sacrament.
Mr. Henry Becher served as principal for 25 years. In total, sixty-two Sisters of St. Joseph have taught at Blessed Sacrament School.
Blessed Sacrament School
Source of information “Blessed Sacrament Parish”
submitted by Nancy Ryall
19-20-21