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The Impact of St. John's Roman Catholic School

Despite a rocky start and on-going staff and resource shortages, St. John's Roman Catholic School provided a key element to the community's makeup: education. During the St. John's Separate School Board's first years, splitting the student population into smaller groups seemed financially unwise and threatened to bankrupt both the public and the separate schools. The dedication of regional bishops and the work of local citizens allowed the school to remain open and adequately funded. Fort McMurray's population expanded after the oil sands companies began to develop the area. When this happened, the presence of multiple schools and school boards became a blessing. As it was, the schools could hardly house the influx of students. The rapid construction of new schools in the 60s, 70s, and 80s indicates that dividing the population was no longer an issue.

The Catholic School Board also provided a different education than the public system. It offered grades eleven and twelve before the public school did. St. John's Catholic School also accepted transfers when the public board could not afford to run the upper grades. At least a few citizens switched into the Catholic system because they believed that St. John's School's quality of education was superior to the public system's. The public system, of course, was unable to call upon the Grey Nuns for assistance. These women taught in St. John's and the other Catholic schools virtually for free, and they worked hard both in and out of the classroom. These factors all contributed to providing a different--and some would argue better--education than the public system.

As far as the Mission was concerned, the primary reason for establishing the Catholic school board was to teach catechism and Catholic values. Unable to insist on Catholic education in the public school system, the clergy that pioneered this Board and others in northern Canada wanted to fulfill Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This article guarantees parents' right to determine their child's education. Since its creation, the Catholic board has maintained the value of religious teaching and provided it to those who wished to be a member of their schools.

For more information about the Grey Nuns, read "Northerners Say: 'Thanks, Sisters,'" by Agnus Sutherland s.g.m, and published by Les Oeuvres de Mère d'Youville in 1996. See also "The Bishop Who Cared: A Legacy of Leadership," written and published by Agnus Sutherland s.g.m. in 1995. For more information about the Catholic Schools of Fort McMurray, see "Fort McMurray Catholic Schools Celebrate Their 50th Anniversary 1936-1986," written by Joan Jarvis and published by The Fort McMurray Catholic Board of Education in 1986, and "'Those Were The Days': Fort McMurray All School Reunion August 1, 2, 3, 1981," compiled by Mary-Jane Peden in 1981.

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Girl at First Communion
1950-1969
Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada


Credits:
School Reunion
Fort McMurray Historical Society