School remains in memories

If walls could talk, those at St. Edward's Elementary in Placentia would have a lot to say.

St. Edward's has now officially closed its doors for good, but many people who have had plenty to do at the school had nothing but good to say as they reminisced about their days there.

Placentia-St. Mary's MHA and current Justice Minister Felix Collins used to be a principal at the school and said the time he spent there were some of the happiest memories he had of his working life.

Collins also went to school there as a young lad, when his family moved from the Placentia Bay community of St. Anne's back in the late '50s. He said he went from a one-room schoolhouse to the Sacred Heart High School, a big change for him at the time.

"It was like going to a major academy and it was a different experience," he said.

When he graduated, he went to university and studied education.

"I spent two years teaching at the high school there in the mid sixties. All my kids went to school there and then in 1983 I was with the school board and I decided to go back teaching for a year. I went back to St. Edward's and taught Grade 7 in 1983-84," he said. "When the Presentation Sisters moved out of the school in 1986, I became the first lay principal of the school, and I was there until 1992 when I retired as principal of St. Edward's."

Back then, he said, there were a lot more students at the school. They had a great staff and great students, he commented.

"The discipline problems were virtually nil," Collins said. "The biggest problem we would have had was kids throwing snowballs in the wintertime.

"We had as much money as most schools would have. We had a great relationship with the PTA. We had computers, for examples. We were ahead of our time. We had a whole classroom of computers and every class could go in and have access to computers and that was a big deal then.

"We had a great camaraderie among the staff and we developed a family atmosphere within the school and that continues to this day. There was no strict regimental discipline in place. It was open access for kids around the school. Staff and the kids interacted freely with one another and it went both ways. It was a pleasant atmosphere around the school for students and teachers. It was really great. They treated me really well and the year I retired, the students all turned out and gave me such a send off that it will stay with me forever."

Collins said it was helpful that he knew almost all parents on a first name basis, which likely helped encourage the camaraderie and community spirit felt at the school.

Marina Gambin was a teacher at St. Edward's for 29 years and said some of her fondest memories was preparing for school concerts and the like.

"Yes, it was so stressful getting the children ready. But it was so much fun working with the other teachers," she said. "I always liked to write my own stuff for the concerts. I wrote little plays for the Grade 1 students and primary, mostly. I wrote little poems like welcome poems and thank-you for coming poems. I always like to write my own stuff."

She remembered the uniforms students had to wear and how sweet the children looked wearing them.

"I remember one of the uniforms they used was little red, blue terry cloth tops and white shorts. I have a picture of that on Facebook," she said.

She started teaching there when she was only 19 years old with only one year teaching behind her.

"I'll never forget September 6, 1966. That was the day I started teaching at St. Edward's. I wore a Newfoundland tartan suit, green Newfoundland tartan top, skirt, high-heel shoes. I was the only new teacher that year. I was 19, so, pretty wet behind the ears, with one year of Memorial University behind me and I taught one year down in Bonavista Bay," she laughed. "Everyone else there had experience teaching. They all seemed to know what they were doing. Honest to God, I was scared to death. I was shivering. I had not been teaching with nuns before. I had heard they were pretty strict. All the other teachers there seemed so sophisticated and like they knew what they were doing."

But, she said, teachers were helpful and she settled into the job easily.

"That's where I spent 29 years out of my life. That's a lot of your life," said Gambin. "Everywhere I go I meet children I taught, some fellows great big, six feet fellows, going with their children. And they'll say 'hello Mrs. Gambin,' and right away, you know you got to remember their names. It's so good when they come and put their arm around you. Sometimes you don't see them for years and you might run into them at an airport or something, and they come up and say, 'Mrs. Gambin, do you remember me?' It's sad but it's so happy too."

Gambin said working with the nuns was a lot of fun, and they could surprisingly be pretty lively at the many parties held at the school and off school grounds.

Melvin Critch is the final principal of St. Edward's, the one who had to shut the doors, although he will be continuing on as vice principal at St. Anne's Academy in the fall.

"You certainly have mixed emotions about shutting the school down. It's been here for 65 years and even longer when you look at the Presentation School that was here before that," he said. "It's gone through a lot of changes over the years, and this is the final one, but it is no surprise."

He spoke about the history in the school, how people talk about all the changes over the years.

"Many people have very fond memories of coming to the school and they talk about the various teachers that had an impact on their lives," Critch said. "When you look back on it, so many students have gone on to very successful careers. They were great children to work with and great ambassadors for the school."

But he said, while it is sad to see this final change, the closing of the school's doors, it is also somewhat exciting for students who will be going to new schools, and for students going to Laval, a brand new, state-of-the-art school.

"St. Edward's was a true community school with parents helping and everyone pitching in. It was a true neighbourhood school. It is certainly sad to see it go," he stated.

But Critch is positive the camaraderie felt at St. Edward's will continue on into St. Anne's and Laval.

"A lot of people say when they come into the school they get a warm feeling, and that was always good to hear," he said. "There were always displays of students' work up on the walls, and people felt very welcomed coming in here."

He said since they've been taking things down off the walls the past week, people have noted how bare it seems.

"They say my God, I can't believe it's come to this."

He said students are a bit sad about the school closure but they are excited about going to new schools and the summer holidays.

"We've done a lot of transitioning so there are no surprises for them. It's not like they are going into an environment they don't know. That will certainly ease the move."

Critch said the biggest thing he will remember about the school is the sense of community support felt and provided by teachers, parents and students.

"That enabled us to provide many opportunities for students and that is something I will always be grateful for, the tremendous community support we had as a K-8 school. We were fortunate to have parents who were very supportive of what we were doing here."

Critch said he is confident that camaraderie and support will continue into the future in any school in this community.

editor@thecharter.ca