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Theses & Projects Faculty of Education Projects (Master's)
Forget, Simone
2003
Beauvais School : a collected and living history
https://hdl.handle.net/10133/1114
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BEAUVAIS SCHOOL
A COLLECTED AND LIVING HISTORY
SIMONE FORGET
B.Ed., University of Lethbridge, 1991
A Project
Submitted to School of Graduate Studies
of the University of Lethbridge
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF EDUCATION
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
LETHBRIDGE,ALBERTA
April 2003
111
To
Gaston and Paulette
Who continue to reveal to me life's greatest lessons ...
tV
Abstract
The purpose of this project is twofold: (1) to collect, summarize, and narrate the history
of the Beauvais School, a historic one-room schoolhouse in the Municipal District of
Pincher Creek, and (2) to recreate, in the form of an educational, interactive program, a
half-day of school in 1911112 at the Beauvais Schoolhouse (Appendix A). Using original
documents from the Beauvais School and District (daily attendance records, the school
board minute book and cash book, local newspapers, and pioneer's personal histories),
the following topics are examined: the Beauvais family, the Beauvais School District,
teacher training, caretaking, the school board, the interior and exterior of the schoolhouse,
discipline and mischief, special occasions, morning routines, lunch and recess, textbooks
and readers, the multi-grade classroom, attendance and truancy, teacher salaries,
transportation to and from school, the school budget, the library, teacher shortages, the
inspector, the large school unit, and rural school closures. The examination of these
topics resulted in the re-creation of partial school day in the context of 191111912.
Participants in this re-creation (designed for elementary school children or family groups)
assume the names of actual Beauvais students and progress through the routines and
lessons of an early twentieth-century school day. The intent of this research is to allow
older generations to re-experience their past, and younger generations to understand the
origins of their current community and lifestyle.
v
Acknowledgements
As a student with lofty goals and a restricted budget, I have learned far more than
local history through this project. I have been frequently and delightedly overwhelmed by
the support and kindness of people offering to nourish and sustain my work (and me)
during the course of this research.
Staff at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, the Provincial Archives in Edmonton,
the Sir Alexander Galt Museum in Lethbridge, the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village in
Pincher Creek (notably Farley Wuth and Betty Smith), and S1. Michael's Church in
Pincher Creek (specifically Rosalie Levesque) consistently handled my research as
enthusiastically as if it were their own. Their demonstration of bending over backwards
certainly qualifies them as research gymnasts.
There is a wealth of undiscovered history contained in the library and files of the
Beauvais Lake Provincial Park office. Much of this research, done previously by Darrell
Croft, formed the backbone of this project. lowe thanks to the Parks and Protected Areas
staff ofPincher CreeklLethbridge for providing access to the Beauvais Lake Office and
the resources contained therein. In addition, Heidi Eijgel's encouragement in the initial
stages of the project made me believe it was worthwhile and CliffThesen's support of
my proposal provided the means to make it happen. Al Heschl and Bryan Sundberg
deserve special thanks for maintaining my momentum with their daily inquiries, sincere
interest in the project, technical support, timely distractions and comic relief
I am only beginning to discover history through individuals who lived the story of
the one-room schoolhouse. I am inspired and humbled by each interaction with former
students and teachers willing to share a piece of their past. In particular, I am grateful to
the staff and residents of Crestview Lodge, and members of the local community who
will be participating in my continuing research. The very personal research styles of Pat
(Kropinak) Moskaluk and Joyce Sasse have provided me with excellent local mentorship.
There is a unique kind of confidence born when someone you regard highly is
intrigued by your vision, encourages progress on your own terms, and celebrates each
small success as it happens. To Dr. Brian Titley I am grateful for this. My deepest thanks
go also to Dr. John Poulsen for his enthusiasm and feedback, particularly with the
practical application of this research.
To each person who volunteered hours of time to scrutinize the initial drafts of
this research, thank you for your commitment, encouragement, and helpful feedback.
Only Michelle Forget could take the grueling task of data entry and transform it
into something playful and entertaining. Her example is a metaphor for so much more.
Being from the city, I found it difficult to imagine the kind of spirit that embodied
the early rural community of the Beauvais District. But I have found a living example in
Ken and Carolee Elliott. From the day we met, I was warmly welcomed into their home
as family. With each visit, I am treated to large helpings oflocal history and Carolee's
home cooking. Information and assistance provided by Ken and Carolee is woven richly
into the pages of this document.
All of this would have remained an unfulfilled idea were it not for Paul.
Inadvertently, his gentle encouragement earned him the roles of research assistant, local
historian and editor. I cannot express in words what his support has made possible.
Vi
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... V
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... vi
List of Tables ................................................................................................................ vii
List of Figures ............................................................................................................... vii
Preface ......................................................................................................................... viii
1882: The Beauvais Family ............................................................................................ 1
1888: The Beauvais School District ................................................................................ 8
1896: The First Teacher and the Caretaker ................................................................... 10
1897: Father Lacombe .................................................................................................. 14
1902: Early Teacher Training ....................................................................................... 17
1907: School Board ...................................................................................................... 19
1909: The New School: Renovations and Repair ......................................................... 24
1910: Discipline and Mischief.. .................................................................................... 26
1911: On the Inside ...................................................................................................... 32
1919: Finding Teachers for the School ......................................................................... 36
1920: Heat and Water. .................................................................................................. 41
1922: Morning Routines ............................................................................................... 47
1923: Special Occasions and Events ............................................................................. 50
1924: The Best Part ofthe Day ..................................................................................... 54
1926: Readers and Textbooks ....................................................................................... 58
1928: Early Transportation ........................................................................................... 61
1929: The Fun Part of Learning .................................................................................... 64
1933: The Multi-Grade Classroom ............................................................................... 67
1934: Attendance and Truancy ..................................................................................... 72
1935: Teacher Salaries ................................................................................................. 75
1938: School Budget .................................................................................................... 78
1938: The Large School Unit (the beginning of the end) .............................................. 82
1941: The School Library ............................................................................................. 86
1942: Teacher Shortages .............................................................................................. 88
1943: The Inspector. ..................................................................................................... 91
1949: Van Routes and School Closures ........................................................................ 97
References .................................................................................................................. 101
Appendix A: Syrup Pails and Gopher Tails - An Educational Program ...................... 104
Appendix B: Opening Exercises .................................................................................. 122
Appendix C: History of the Pincher Creek Area ......................................................... 123
Appendix D: Authorized Textbooks in 1911/12 .......................................................... 124
Appendix E: Beauvais School Library Books, 1941142 ............................................... 125
Appendix F: Families of the Beauvais School ............................................................. 127
Vll
List of Tables
1. Normal School Courses Between 1890 and 1905 ......................................... . 18
2. Trustees of the S1. AgneslBeauvais School Board ........................... .............. 22
3. Miss Jane Kelly: Documented Information ................ , ................................ 26
4. A Multigrade Time Table ............... '" '" ................................................ 68
5. Normal School Courses in 1933 ............................................................ .6 9
6. Salaries of Beauvais School Teachers (1896-1949) ...................... , ................ 77
7. The Inspector's Rating ofa Teacher's Performance ....................................... 93
8. An Inspector's Responsibilities ............................................................ .. 95
List of Figures
1. School Districts in the Pincher Creek Area ................................................. .ix
2. A Map of the Beauvais School District .................................... ...................x
Vlll
Preface
For two years now, I have been collecting loose strands of the past, hoping some
day to restore them into something resembling the original tapestry from which they were
scattered. It is long past time for the weaving to begin. What follows is an account of my
attempt to reunite the pieces of history that tell the story of a one-room schoolhouse
known originally as St. Agnes.
The story of the St. AgneslBeauvais School cannot be told in isolation. It is part of a
much broader context. As a result, anecdotes included in this story are not exclusively
from the Beauvais School. While it is true that each school history is unique, the
Beauvais School is linked to others by virtue of its place in time and space; over forty
one-room schools in the Pincher Creek area existed in the same time period, on the same
landscape, by communities sharing similar lifestyles. For this reason, examples from
other school histories are used to illustrate what may have been at the Beauvais School,
when Beauvais specific anecdotes were unavailable, and have been woven into the
research to add flesh to the context.
The intention of this research is to offer current generations an opportunity to
relive a piece of Alberta's past through the context of the one-room schoolhouse. Because
I did not experience this history first hand, my re-telling of the story may be incomplete
or misinformed. For this reason, I am committed to revising and updating this research
collection at every opportunity.
IX
MAYCROFT
HEATH CRE~
WILLOW VALLEY
NORTH FORK
SPRING RIDGE
BEAUVAIS
CROOK
GLADSTONE VAlLEY
Figure 1
School Districts in the Pincher Creek Areal
I Pincher Creek and District Historical Society (hereafter cited as PC&DHS), Prairie Grass to Mountain Pass: History oft he
Pioneers ofPincher Creek and District, (Calgary, Alberta: PC&DHS, 1974), viii.
Township 5
Figure 2
l
A Map of the Beauvais School District
I Created upon request oft he author at the Pincher Creek Municipal District Office, February 2003.
