Pipestone Flyer
Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Separate Regional Division Trustee Henry Effon and children at the Sacred Heart Family Fun Fair.
The Sacred Heart School's Family Fun Fair was very well attended by about 400 children and parents. One of the most popular activities was the Photo Booth where individuals, families or small groups of friends could select from a table of accessories such as hats, glasses, mustaches, noses etc. and have their pictures taken in their chosen disguises. Other activities included a Veggie Fashion Show, Face Painting, a variety of Carnival Games, and concluded with a dance. A simple meal, consisting of a hot dog, bag of chips and a drink, was provided free, with additional servings a dollar per item.
The Family Fun Fair was sponsored by the school and the Sacred Heart Parents' School Council. The event was organized and run by the Parents' Council volunteers with assistance from the school and the student leadership. The students planned and ran the Carnival Games which included Bobbing for Donuts, variations of Bean Bag Tosses, Hoola Hoop Toss, Three Legged Race, a Back-to-Back Balloon Race and more. Parents served supper through the concession booth.
Cindy Roy, Chair of the Parents' Council, defined the purpose of the evening as an opportunity for parents to get together and meet their children's schoolmates and their parents in a fun environment. With 24 more students in the school, this is especially important.
When Alberta became a province in 1905, the educational legislation provided for separate tax supported Roman Catholic and Protestant school systems. In each area, those in the majority were designated the public schools, and the minority were the separate schools. That is why the public school divisions north-east of Edmonton in St. Albert and other historically Roman Catholic communities are Roman Catholic to this day. Roman Catholic divisions have remained closely affiliated with their church, while Protestant divisions have become more public, inclusive, secular. For example, the Edmonton Protestant Public Schools dropped the word “Protestant” from the name as early as 1911. In recent years, the Roman Catholic Separate Schools have been accepting non-Catholic students, so Sacred Heart School in Wetaskiwin now has approximately 40% Roman Catholic students, and 60% others. This basic school legislation is unique to Alberta, and probably Saskatchewan which became a province at the same time. This is a good example of the importance of knowing history in order to understand the present.