by Gordon Davies
The old red brick school was the source of my education from Grade 1 until Grade 11.
There were four rooms above the basement. The basement was divided into two areas -the boys area and the girls area. Off the girls’ area was another classroom in the NW corner of the basement. Off the boys’ area was the furnace room and the janitor’s room in the NE corner. There were a number of windows in the basement so that it was not particularly dark.
Upon entering the school, there was a flight of stairs leading up to the 4 classrooms. On each side of this stairway, there were stairs leading down into the boys’ and girls’ areas. In the two classrooms in the front, looking toward the south, there was a cloakroom walled off from the classroom where you left your coats, etc. In the NE classroom there was a walled off section on the west side, which served as a storage area for chemicals and equipment used for science class. There was also a very large glass water bottle inverted on a stand where one could get a drink. Until 1952, the toilets were outside of the school to the NE and once the water system was put in by the town there were girls and boys toilets in the basement. In once corner of the NW classroom a section had been walled off to serve as an office for the principal. Behind the school there was also a barn to be used by those who rode horseback to school. By the late forties I don’t remember anyone riding to school on horseback. To the west end of the school building was found the community skating/hockey rink.
In the late 40s a Mr. Gish was the principal of the school. He had served in WWII and tended to run the school like a military operation. Before entering the school in the morning or afternoon we would line up in front of the building with the boys in one line and girls in another. Mr. Gish had a school bell and we had to march into the school in time with the bell.
The floors in the classrooms were wooden and oiled. In elementary school I remember that the desks were attached to runners in a row. Later, the desks would be separate. Usually the desks had a lift up lid where you stored notebooks, etc. There was an ink well in on corner of the top and usually the seats would fold up.
Ca. 1948 a small school was moved in from the country because the old brick school was not large enough to accommodate all the students. It was heated by a stove in the classroom but in February we had an extreme cold spell and those of us in this school had a two week holiday. The stove wasn’t capable of warming the room and the glue and in were freezing. This building was later moved to the site of the outdoor rink in the east end of Cochrane and served as a changing room. There were other times when senior classes were held in the basement of the Community Hall.
I believe that it was in our Junior High years that the school motto “Carpe diem” was chosen and a crest was chosen. I believe that it was Victor Westerson who designed the crest and it would be available as a patch to wear on your school sweater or was a part of a school ring. It was during this time that the Jr. High students would be taken to Banff in June for a picnic. The parents would cook up hot dogs and we would picnic in the park beside the Bow before the bridge crossing the river.
When Andrew Sibbald school was built the old school basically became a 9 – 12 school. There was an auditorium in the new school but was built to elementary standards so that games like basketball or volleyball could not be played there. Until Cochrane High School opened in 1962 most sports would be played outside in summer and winter – baseball in the summer, soccer all year. There was a stage in the new school and it enabled Mr. Macdonell, who was very interested in drama, to have students put on plays in the new auditorium. Drama was a very important of my time in Grades 9-11.
By 1958-59 there weren’t enough teachers to provide a complete matriculation programme for the Gr. 12 students. Cochrane School Division #142 arranged to send those of us in Grade 12 to Mount Royal College which was situated on 8th Ave. and 11th St. At this time it was basically a business college and offered matriculation courses. It was a college under the auspices of the United Church of Canada. Lowell (Buddy) Desjardine had a car and the 4 or 5 of us who opted not to stay in Calgary would pile into Buddie’s car. I’m sure that Bud was reimbursed for the use of the car. Often we would stop at Chicken on the Way on 14th. St to satisfy our appetites.
