For 60 years, Sacred Heart School/脡cole Sacr茅 Coeurhas been providing great education to local students in both official languages, while stressing the importance of their faith.
The school, which is part of the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division, is a kindergarten-Grade 8 school with 378 students this year. For parents who want their children enrolled in French immersion, it鈥檚 the school they turn to.
鈥淚 think we have something special here in that we have an English school and a French immersion school that share the building, and we work well together in having those two schools together,鈥� said Michella Prokop, a Grade 1 French immersion teacher who has been at Sacred Heart since 1993.
Sacred Heart celebrated its 60th anniversary last week. There was a school-wide assembly on Oct. 21, in which students read poems and sang songs, and there was a holy mass on Oct. 25 with Father Anthony Sathiadas from St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church.聽
But the biggest celebration came on Oct. 24, with a community event that attracted about 200 people.
Old yearbooks, photos and other historical memorabilia were set up in the school鈥檚 gymnasium. A video recapped some of the school鈥檚 history and had messages of congratulations from people in the community. The school鈥檚 praise choir sang several songs during the evening.
People could also take tours of the school, and there was a come and go tea in the library so that people could enjoy snacks and refreshments, and reminisce and chat about Sacred Heart鈥檚 history.
Several people spoke during an open mic session following the praise choir鈥檚 performance. Prokop, who was involved with the planning of the event, said she still loves the school. Most of her tenure was teaching kindergarten.
鈥淚 really find it amazing that because I mostly taught little children, how they can come in at five years old, and play tag in the hall and run in the hall and bug their friends and do all of the things that kids do, and before you know it, you鈥檙e looking at a grown up adult who has done something amazing,鈥� said Prokop.
Kids have so much potential, and it鈥檚 incredible to watch them grow and see what they are capable of.
鈥淭o be part of our Sacred Heart School/Sacr茅Ceour family is just very special,鈥� said Prokop.
An open mic session allowed people to share their stories about the school. Gail Hilstrom, who is the mother-in-law of current principal April Hilstrom and the mother of one of the teachers, noted she came to Sacred Heart in 1961, not long after the school opened, and continued until Grade 8.
She recalled that there used to be a big rivalry with St. Mary鈥檚 School and St. John鈥檚 School over sports back when Estevan had three Catholic schools.
Hanna Keating, meanwhile, was the school鈥檚 librarian for nearly 20 years. All four of her children attended the school as well.
鈥淚 have just the best memories. I worked with 鈥� a few different principals, and they were all absolutely awesome, and this school is awesome,鈥� said Keating.
She always watches the Estevan Mercury each week to see what Sacred Heart is up to, and it鈥檚 wonderful to see the things that are happening in the school.
Prokop said the video was a highlight during the evening, because it showed the past and the present of the school.
鈥淲e got quite a few videos of people sent in, and then we took some videos, mostly just congratulating us on our anniversary or on our birthday, and expressing their memories or the good times that they remember having at Sacred Heart,鈥� she said. 聽
Many of the items in the memorabilia displays were events that she remembers.
She has a hard time believing that some of the people she taught in kindergarten when she first started at the school are now grown up, and have children of their own.
The staff hoped to see a lot of former of teachers, staff and students at the anniversary celebration, and their wish was fulfilled. There were lots of former students, parents and people from the community.
鈥淚 have hugged lots of people already,鈥� Prokop said. 鈥淎 few former staff, a few former students that I taught in kindergarten who are now grown adults, and there were lots of people who we maybe didn鈥檛 expect to show up.鈥�
