MOOSE JAW — Hundreds of alumni from Empire School took a “walk down memory lane” recently as they said their final goodbyes to a place that has educated children since 1909.
To honour the building’s 116-year history, a come-and-go farewell event was held on June 3, featuring tours, archival displays, a barbecue and alumni of all ages reconnecting with classmates.
Empire will close this June and students will transfer to the new Coteau Hills Elementary School in southwest Moose Jaw this fall.
Garry Olafson’s first year teaching was at Empire in 1959, before he moved to William Grayson and then went to university. He later returned and taught from 1978 to 1989.
“The kids here (in 1959) were fantastic. (Meanwhile), I had a principal and vice-principal that … ruled with an iron fist,” the 85-year-old chuckled. “So I didn’t have to worry about discipline too much.”
Olafson recalled one situation where contractors were constructing fastball diamonds in an area the school used as playground space. This work forced hundreds of students into a small, fenced area, so one teacher decided to let them play on Coteau Street — between Fifth and Sixth avenues — with every piece of sports equipment the school had.
The retired teacher laughed at the memory but did not say if there were any consequences afterward.
Sandra Poulton graduated Grade 8 in 1964 and returned with three friends to see how the school had changed. She recalled that her Grade 6 class was the first to move into a new west wing of the building.
“We were in Miss Rogers’ class and we remember moving our desks up, otherwise we were in the basement before that … . So I think it’s changed quite a bit,” she said, adding that the gym never existed then, there were separate boys’ and girls’ entrances and there were hardwood floors.
Friends Dave Newstead and Bob Stewart were excited to find themselves in a picture of the school’s 1966-67 hockey team. That year, the team — which featured a future doctor Fred Wigmore — went undefeated in public school league play and captured the city championship.
“It was great (because) we didn’t lose a game that year,” Newstead said, while he singled out his coach, Claude Duke, for being a great leader and a “super teacher.”
Meanwhile, Stewart showed a letter he received in Grade 6 in 1965 from the provincial Department of Natural Resources, which had responded to a fossil he submitted for identification.
“The specimen has been identified as: A segment of the stem of pedicle of a marine animal that is commonly known as a ‘sea lily’ because of its shape,” the creased 60-year-old letter says. “The proper name for this animal is ‘crinoid.’ Your specimen could be from 300 to 400 millions of years old.”
Stewart then held up the fossil — about an inch in diameter — in a small ring-type box. He explained that his family lived near the bowling alley and he was playing in the dirt when he found the artifact. He brought it to school, where his teacher suggested sending it to Regina for analysis.
With a chuckle, the Empire alumnus said he thought he had lost the fossil and letter since he thought he had stored them in a long, narrow box. However, he had put them in another box and moved it; he only found the container a few weeks ago and, despite asking his grandchildren if they knew where it was, will pass it to them.
Meanwhile, Blake Buison, a current Grade 5 student, was one of several youths acting as tour guides. He thought it was a great experience to lead alumni and learn what they did decades ago.
The youth has been at Empire for only two years, after originally attending King George after his family moved from the Philippines. Still, he thought his time there was “fascinating” and he enjoyed everyone he met, while he appreciated his Grade 3/4 teacher for helping him through his learning struggles.
Buison added that he was excited to move to a new school so he could meet more new people.
