The District was named in honor of Rev. Father Thibeault, O.M.I, who established a mission school with Father Lacomb in Lac St Anne, 1842. In June of 1892 The Thibault Roman Catholic Public School District No. 35 was established. As humble as the school was, it closed just after a few short months. Seven years later, Father Jolicoeur revived the district. They hired lay teachers until the arrival of the religious teachers. Ada Latulippe and Angelina Desroches were in charge of teaching the French classes, while Katherine Steffes taught the English classes. Sister Marie Adeleine, Supior; Sister St Nicholas, Sister Tarcienne, teachers; Sister St Europe, cook and housekeeper.
The first day of classes were Monday, February 1, 1904, where sixty pupils waited to be presented to their new teachers It was a success and the second school year began on September 5, 1905, with an enrollment of 80 students.
The convent accommodated 120 full time boarders and 22 members of “Les Filles De Jesus”. The school board decided that on October the 8 and on the schools would no longer be taking the children of non ratepayers. Notre Dame Convent was a three storey school was constructed west of the present St Jean Baptiste Church in Morinville in 1909. They had 2 classrooms one for French instruction and the other for English. Subjects were classified differently then they are now. Today our four core subjects are Math, English, Social Studies and Science. In 1927 their subjects were divided accordingly, Religion, Reading and writing, Arithmetics, Grammar, composition, Literature, Geography, Zoology, History, Spelling, drawing and painting, Music, Botanic, Geometry, Trigonometry, Physics, Chemistry, Latin, Calligraphy and Stenography. Lastly not only would they be graded on academic subjects but also on their attitudes of being proper and punctual (which may be difficult for full time boarders). The upper floor was reserved as the dormitories for the boarders and the teachers, who stayed from Monday to Friday. School started from 4:30 till 6 p.m, and then another hour after supper till 9 o’clock.
To sustain the increase of the growing population there was construction on another school in 1910. Located right across the Notre Dame Convent, it was a two storey school, nick named the “Red” school. The Red school had four classrooms, a barn, outdoor washrooms and a well. When the school opened in 1914, it had 69 pupils all taught by “Les Filles de Jesus” A south wing was added to the Notre Dame Convent by the 1920 ‘s. Then another wing was added on the North side 10 years later. The extension increases the classrooms by 4, with a recreational hall and dormitories By April of 1949 each elementary class housed 45 to 50 students, a new school was in order. By Febuary 21, 1950, the “White school” opened its doors. Students were imported from The Roseridge and L’abbé country school to Morinville, as they were being shut down. On the night of March 14, 1958, fire was set to the “red school”. It was completely destroyed. In the mean time students were held in the Parish Hall for their classes. By October 24, 1958, the waiting was over. A new school had been constructed by the name George. P. Vanier. This school had a total of 8 classrooms, a large gymnasium, a chemistry lab, an industrial arts shop and a modern home economics room. Nineteen years later Notre Dame Primary School opened. On October the 11 1977, it opened its doors. But plans for a new school were in the process. In dedication to Rev. Father George-Henri Primeau, G.H.P opened up in October 8, 1980. The last and final school that opened just before the regionalization was Morinville Community High School. It is currently one of the most technologically advanced schools in the province. 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
Faith and Tenacity
Morinville, a Pictorial History
Morinville Museum
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