St. Mary’s School students have thrived in the classroom, in athletics and in many extracurricular activities since the school opened in May 1965.
The school also has never strayed from its Roman Catholic roots.
A 50th anniversary celebration for the school happened on Thursday, with activities that attracted around 400 people, including current and former students and staff members.
There was a morning mass, a lunch served by A Little Taste of Heaven Catering and an afternoon program. People viewed photo albums that chronicled the school’s history.
“The event was great,” principal David Murphy told the Mercury. “I really enjoyed the whole day. The presentations in the afternoon went well, and the mass was nice. It was very, very directed towards our school, our students and the staff.”
People who attended the celebrations were very impressed with the school, the current staff and students, and the festivities as a whole, Murphy said.
“They were very happy to be able to express how they felt about the school now and the school back in 1965,” he said.
Few people have had a connection to the school longer than Bev Hickie. He was the principal for 14 years, from 1983 to 1997, and worked at the school for a couple more years. He is now one of two Estevan trustees for the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division’s board.
Hickie was the principal in 1991, when the school transitioned from Kindergarten to Grade 6, to its current status as a Kindergarten to Grade 8 school.
“We had between 180 and 200 students, and the staffs were a lot smaller then than they are now,” he said.
He recalled how the special education students helped everyone else learn.
“They taught us how to love,” said Hickie. “The kids would come into the school in the morning, and you’d have to hug them.”
St. Mary’s organized many celebrations, Hickie said, including the Christmas concert, which, at the time, was held in the church basement or at Sacred Heart School/École Sacré Coeur.
“We had a lot of bike racks out here,” said Hickie. “The bike racks were filled. And now, when I drive by the school, there are hardly any bikes.”
Former principal Chad Fingler, who is now Holy Family's superintendent of school operations, attended classes in Estevan at the now-closed St. John's School. He spent a lot of time competing against St. Mary’s in sports.
“I remember coming from St. John’s and thinking ‘They have grass at St. Mary’s, so that’s nice,’” Fingler said. “We played on a gravel field at St. John’s.”
Young people play hard during intramurals and recess at St. Mary's, Fingler said, and that translates to the Monarchs sports teams.
“They always had the ability to dig down deep, and I think that comes from the hard play during recess, intramurals and lunch hour floor hockey teams that Mr. Murphy runs,” said Fingler. “There’s a culture, and that certainly started when Mr. Hickie was here.”
St. Mary’s students are very blessed to attend the school, Fingler said.
Holy Family director of education Gwen Keith told the students the school is having a “great big birthday.”
“If these walls could talk, what they would have to say about this school?” said Keith.
St. Mary’s has spent the last 50 years striving for excellence, she said, while providing an atmosphere based on Christian values. The school’s staff celebrates the uniqueness of the whole child.
“I know that as we look at the school division this year, the focus is on hope, and I know how much that theme has been embedded into this school in so many ways,” said Keith.
“And so it is, as we look forward and think about the future, we know, with certainty, that this school has provided 50 years of excellence in Catholic education,” she added.
Keith presented a plaque to Murphy in honour of the golden anniversary.
Former student Kyle Goulet said the school's gospel assemblies and band program ignited a love of music. He plays the drums regularly.
He also has fond memories of the book fair and the space camp.
“I remember the two-litre pop bottle jet packs that we had, and the ice cream pale helmets, and we slept in tents in this gym,” said Goulet. “It was quite amazing, because we could wake up, and we would still be in school.”
St. Mary’s taught him how to love others; appreciate his life and the lives of other people; stand up for what he believes in; be independent; and live with an open mind towards people, opportunities, places and hardships.
Murphy read letters from several former staff members and principals, including Henry Huck, Claire Fingler and Tom Koskie. He also paid tribute to former principal Mary Ellen Barreth, who is now the principal at Sacred Heart. She will retire in June.
Murphy also unveiled a plaque that will hang in the school’s foyer. It lists the names of every student and staff member who was at the school during the 50th anniversary year.
The event also featured music, an unveiling of the school’s new field signs, birthday cake and numerous other festivities.
This week’s edition of Lifestyles will have a follow-up story on the celebrations, including comments from people who were at St. Mary’s during the school’s first year.
