HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-09-22, Page 10PAGE 10.THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016.
Bosmans recall half -century of Hullett school history
From day one
With Hullett Central Public School looking to celebrate its 50th anniversary, it's a good time to
look back on the history of the school and who better to ask than Barb and Al Bosman. Barb,
a teacher at the school when it first opened who has since retired and now teaches piano
lessons there, and Al, the school's custodian for the past 27 years, have a combined total of
77 years experience with the school. (Denny Scott photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Hullett Central Public will be
marking its 50th anniversary tonight,
Sept. 22, with a special barbecue and
anniversary celebration and few
people know the story of the school
as well as Barb Bosman.
Barb was one of the teachers hired
at the school when it first opened in
1966 and she says the school hasn't
changed much in the past five
decades.
When the school was built,
teachers from local rural schools
slated for closure were welcomed to
teach at the new school, though not
all of them wanted to make that
change.
Barb's husband Al, the school's
custodian for the past 27 years, said
the new school was a divisive
proposition, and some teachers
decided not to be a part of it.
"The community was on the fence
for the new school," he said. "Some
teachers wouldn't come."
Barb said that, while at teachers'
college, she was offered a job right
away, joining two other women
working at the school on day one.
"There was no interview, just a
phone call and I had the job," she
said.
"There were 280 children when
the school first started," she said.
"We didn't have kindergarten classes
until later, at which point there were
nearly 350 students."
The first year of the new school,
however, started with an extra week
of vacation for staff and students as a
result of the school not being
completed.
Barb explained that students, staff
and teachers had to meet at
Londesborough Lions Hall on the
first day of school where students
were told to take an extra week of
summer vacation so the school could
be finished.
"There were little kids crying
because they didn't know what was
going on and we were trying to
get everyone into the right spots,"
she said. "Each class met at one
spot in the hall and the school
opened a week later."
Barb explained that, before the
school had opened, she had already
lost a momento to the site, saying
she lost a bracelet in the mud of what
became the driveway.
"I was walking out with all these
books and the bracelet fell off," she
said. "I went back and tried to find
it, but it just got swallowed up by the
mud. The place was just one big mud
hole at the time."
Barb said the school is fairly
similar externally to what it was
when it opened, however the inside
of the school has changed
significantly.
The original front door of the
school is where the library door is
now.
"Originally there was the office
there and a classroom and a hallway
that went straight to the gym," she
said. "However, eventually
enrollment went down so things
changed."
Al explained that, somewhere
along the line, a plan was conceived
where the school's library would
become a public library and where
the site would also feature the
municipal office.
While the school board was
behind the project, not everyone in
the municipality was on board, so
while the library was moved, none of
the other projects were realized.
Since then, two kindergarten
rooms have been added, one in 1995
and one four years ago, though Barb
said the interior structure changes
pale in comparison to how education
has changed since the school
opened.
"The biggest different is definitely
the technology," she said. "The
smart boards [digital white boards]
call to me. I wish we had those kinds
of advancements when I was
teaching. It makes it easier to
individualize things."
The height of technology in the
school when she started was the
electric photocopier.
"It was the greatest thing since
sliced bread," she said. "You would
write what you wanted copied and
peel off the back and insert it in the
machine."
Barb said the machine was
definitely a great piece of
technology, however it also had its
dangers.
"When you were inserting sheets,
you could hit the start button with
your elbow," she said, recounting
Big win
At last week's Elementary School Fair in Belgrave, Harper
Watson, left, and Skylar Moffat were honoured for their
creative bikes. (Denny Scott photo)
one time when she ended up stuck in
the machine for 25 minutes while
people tried to remove her from the
device.
Barb said that cautionary
technology tale isn't the only danger
to be found, stating she sometimes
feels that technology can take
children's minds away from the
work they should be focusing on.
While Barb said she wished she
had access to some of the
technology of now, she said her time
at the school was great from when
she started to her retirement to
current day as she can still be found
teaching piano lessons at the school.
Barb was the school's music
teacher since day one, switching off
with other teachers when they didn't
want to teach music. Aside from
that, she taught every grade except
Grade 7 in the school over her time
there.
She started at the school when it
opened in 1966 and worked until
1969 when she had a child and took
some time off. It turned out to be a
good time for her not to be at the
school as that was the year students
ended up stormstayed for several
days in the village.
Barb says her recollection of the
event is that no students stayed at the
school, they were billeted
throughout the community, however
staff were staying at the school.
"That kind of thing might not
happen somewhere else," she said.
"Londesborough and the school's
community is a wonderful one to be
a part of and a great place to have a
full career."
The community was very involved
with the school according to Barb
and Al. They both point to examples
of the community going above and
beyond to provide educational
experiences for students.
Barb said the school would
regularly host pioneer days and
people from the community would
come in and teach everything from
baking bread to quilt -making. Al
added that at one point, a horse was
shod in the gym while students
watched.
Students remember those kinds of
unique learning experiences that
aren't covered by the curriculum,
she said, pointing out her own
classroom's annual Thanksgiving
dinner when students were
responsible for making the meal and
to her nature days where she invited
students onto her property to learn
about trees and take a quick wade
through the creek.
"We could do things then that you
might not be able to do now," she
said. "I truly taught at the best of
time."
That outdoor focus hasn't
changed, however, according to
current Principal Cathy Goetz.
"We've really tried to incorporate
outdoor education as part of the
school," she said, pointing to the
Friends of the Forest project and the
recent outdoor grounds
enhancements that have been made.
Al said the grounds have seen a lot
of green -minded improvements
since the school was first built,
pointing to the numerous trees
planted by students and staff.
"It's definitely a big change," he
said. `Before the trees were planted
there were winds that would cut
right through the playground. The
trees make a big difference and they
are great to have on site."
The 50th anniversary celebration
is set to start at 5 p.m. Thursday
night with a barbecue by the
Londesborough Lions. The school's
book fair will be open with
classrooms open from 5:30 p.m. to
6:30 p.m. for visitors to tour,
Former principal Ron McKay will
represent the past administration and
many former principals, staff and
trustees have been invited to be a
part of the event.
The Grade 8 class will bury a time
capsule to mark the event as well as
hosting an outdoor movie night
featuring Finding Dory, a yet -to -be -
released Pixar film. The event will
be by donation and serve as a
fundraiser for the class.
A tree will also be planted to mark
the anniversary, however a site has
not yet been decided.
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