It will be a bittersweet celebration this summer as the Sunbeam School celebrates its 100th anniversary.
The community is planning a celebration for June 12. They are planning a homecoming of the pupils and families who have used the hall over the years. They will be holding a dinner with entertainment.
The celebration will be bitter sweet however because with dwindling volunteer support, and the hall facing repairs, the Sunbeam Community Society has decided they will be selling the hall.
“It’s kind of sad,” said Marg Trentham, who is a member of the society. There is just no interest, a lot of the farms have gone to acreages, and the young people are not interested at all,” said Trentham.
She said the Society had a membership of about 19, and now they are down to about four.
“Our kids all had special moments that took place at a Christmas Concert, and these younger kids won’t get that,” said Trentham.
Jack Cuncannon, 75, attended school at Sunbeam until the school closed before heading to Drumheller to complete his high school. He remembers the school closing.
“My sister was the last teacher,” he said.
The school was built and opened in 1911 and was originally called, Metitize, according to Blooming Prairie, a History of Morrin and District. It was changed to Sunbeam when the school district was formed at Michichi Station in 1914.
Before the school opened, the first classes were held at the home of George Deeprose in the winter of 1910-1911, and a few local children came to partake in classes.
In September of that year the schoolhouse was ready for classes. There were 14 students enrolled including Jack’s father Stanley. Miss Annie Johnson was their teacher. By the end of the first school year, another half dozen students were enrolled. The first trustees were Ferdinand Gaetz, John Cuncannon and George Deeprose.
Because the Cuncannons lived across the road from the schoolhouse, sometimes Jack was charged with lighting the fire at the school, or shovelling the walkway. Often the teachers would board at Jack’s parents home.
“That wasn’t always so good, they had a parent-teacher interview damn near every night,” he laughs.
One memory is of playing scrub at noon.
“You would get some big kid up at bat who could hit over the fence, he would be at bat all lunch hour, and we would stand out in the field and look at him.
He remembers Alvin Chambers was one of those big kids.
The school became a community hub as soon as it was built. In 1911, it saw its first Christmas concert. A Methodist minister coming from Munson held regular Sunday services. The Plymouth Brethren also delivered services, and on occasion, an Anglican minister also came to hold services.
All kinds of other activities including concerts, recitals, parties, debates, showers and old-fashioned chicken dinners were held at the school.
Grace Cuncannon taught at the school from 1947 to 1949, when it closed its doors. Two years later, the Sunbeam Community Society was formed to take over the operations of the building as a community centre.
Jack is planning to go to the centennial, especially to see some of his old friends he has not seen in years. He still keeps in contact with some of his school chums, and some he hasn’t seen since the 1950's.
Trentham said, even after they sell the schoolhouse, there is a good chance it will remain. Often historic schoolhouses are renovated and converted to acreage homes. They are planning to start the legwork to get the building ready to sell so it won’t stand vacant for long.
The centennial celebration at the Sunbeam Community Centre is on Sunday, June 12. The potluck picnic begins at 1:30 p.m. with the community association supplying fried chicken and beef on a bun. Organizers invite those who wish to contribute to entitlement or have memorabilia to do so. For more information or to RSVP contact Martha Chambers at 403-772-2184 or mmhchambers@hotmail.com
