The Greater St Albert Catholic School Division all started in Lac St Anne, when three sisters set up a school for the needed education of the children. Sister Zoe Le Blanc-Enery, Sister Adele Lamy and Sister Marie Jacques-Alphonse By 1863, Father Lacomb left Lac St Anne for St Albert along with his 3 faithful nuns. They built a convent a year later which not only served as a school but as a hospital and orphanage. Within weeks of arriving in St Albert, the 3 nuns had 20 pupils lined up to teach. St Albert Public Roman Catholic School Division was officially established on May 5, 1885. Two years after they, the Grey nuns, had arrived here. A larger two storey building, with room for boarders had been built that same year. One hundred and eight students held attendance at the school under strict supervision of the 3 Grey Nuns. In 1898 the class grew to 150 white pupils, 50 Metis pupils and 85 First Nations students. “The brick school” more formally know as Father Mérer School was unveiled. It was a 4 classroom school teachings grades 1 to 11. The furnace that kept the school warm and cozy in the winter months, tended to freeze up. Students would have to wait for their inkwells to melt and on few occasions would be sent home.
The 1930’s brought the great depression. Schools were shutdown from the lack of paying teachers salaries. At $60 per month the town of St Albert somehow managed to keep the school open, and thus the school division was saved. By 1940, St Albert offered their first twelfth grade class, ever. In 1946 St Albert merged in with Sturgeon School District No. 24 with many other schools following suit. Sturgeon sent their students to Villeneuve or St Albert for school, but all senior high students were sent to St Albert. Father Jan School was built from the increase of student population. The school was built on a design familiar through out Alberta. With no plumbing, or drainage systeme, the school still continued to be of use till the mid-60’s. Students would nick-name the building “The little white school”. It was built specifically to accommodate grades 1 and 2, but as the years went by it played host to grades 3 and 4 and in later years as a private kindergarden. In 1953, overcrowding was a large issue, with high student to teacher ratios. They built another school, but this wasn’t enough, the school was to small by the time it opened up and they were forced to have classrooms in the basement. Soon to follow a high school was under construction, and four years later it was unveiled. On January 19, 1957 students were allowed to see their new school. It bumped up the number of classrooms in the town from 14 to 23. A science lab, industrial arts shop, home economics room and a large auditorium were all part of the blue prints.
St Albert separated from Sturgeon in 1957, it was growing to much and was a burden for the Division. When St Albert reformed its old district it renamed itself, the St Albert Public School Division No.3 with its boundaries matching those of the town. In celebration of the newly reformed district, a new school was constructed. Named in honor of Bishop Vital Grandin, the school had 24 classrooms and housed 572 pupils and 23 teachers. A post war boom brought change into St Albert School systems between 1948 to 1951. As Non-Catholic people moved into the village. With their population, St Albert grew 60% in size. The town of St Albert not only hosted these new foreigners but their Protestant Religion as well. It wasn’t long till the St Albert Protestant school District No. 6 was established in 1958, creating more pressure on the district to perform better. In 1964 Albert Lacombe school opened with plans of an 18 room school on its way. The newer school was also named Albert Lacombe High School, with the older school being renamed Father Jan School. Kindergarden classes had also started this year. It was offered in R.C parish till it was moved into the little white school later on.
By the year 1969 St Albert Public School District had collected 1400 students and 83 members of staff. By 1994, there was discussion of having the St Albert, Morinville and Legal School districts unite together. January 1, 1995 all three operated under the one name, Greater St Albert Catholic Schools Division.
Since last year the Division now operates under a budget of 66.3 million dollars yearly. $187, 567 is divided among the 17 different schools in St Albert, Morinville and Legal as Awards and Scholarships. They have an enrollment of 6,251 students with 440 teachers following out instruction just as of last year (2009-2010).
Bibliography
http://www.sturgeon.ab.ca/Portals/0/policy-handbook/A_01.pdf
St Albert St. Albert A pictorial history
St Albert Our history
Black Robes Vision
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